T. Eaton Co. - Eatons: the trans-Canada store

Published by The History Press

Charleston, SC 29403

www.historypress.net

Copyright 2014 by Bruce Allen Kopytek

All rights reserved

Cover images: Images of Timothy Eaton, Round Room, Montreal Store, Gordie Howe and Winnipeg Store courtesy of Eaton Fonds; Canada map and image of Queen Street Store from the collection of the author.

First published 2014

e-book edition 2014

ISBN 978.1.62584.695.2

Library of Congress CIP data applied for.

print edition ISBN 978.1.62619.219.5

Notice: The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. It is offered without guarantee on the part of the author or The History Press. The author and The History Press disclaim all liability in connection with the use of this book.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form whatsoever without prior written permission from the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Dedicated to my late father, Walter John Kopytek, who by planning magnificent annual car trips for his family, gave me a love of travel and enriched me with a world of positive memories that can never be forgotten.

Thanks, Dad!

A 1950s Eatons of Canada advertisement portraying the company as vast, exciting, vigorous and operating from British Columbia on the Pacific Ocean to Newfoundland in the eastA Mari Usque ad Mare. Collection of the author.

Contents

Acknowledgements

To tell the story of the T. Eaton Co. Limited is a task that literally stretches from coast to coast, just like the Trans-Canada Store itself. As a result, I was aided by many, many Canadians whose knowledge and enthusiasm for the topic equaled, and in many cases exceeded, my own. Their help ensured the accuracy and quality of the work, and it is no clich to say that without fervent collaborators, no such book could ever be written.

Foremost among these has been the staff of the magnificent Archives of Ontario, located on the campus of York University in Toronto. Not only were Elena Bartucci, Serge Paquet, Patricia Lawton and Garin Kirwan helpful to this stranger (who was full of special requests and complicated questions!), but their sheer enthusiasm and willingness to be of every assistance was also, in a word, breathtaking. My experience leads me to believe that these qualities are viral at the institution, because the whole staff is, without fail, professional, helpful, kind and brimming over with all of the good qualities that humanity assumes. I offer special thanks to Elena for taking the time to negotiate a reasonable settlement to a parking ticket that I got while having a bad day on-site!

I am also fundamentally indebted to Fredrik Eaton, OC, O.Ont., who was very agreeable to the idea of yet another book about the history of his familys retail store and generously shared a book from his library for my use. Gay Raybould, Mr. Eatons assistant, is to be commended for deftly managing the correspondence between two very busy people.

In addition, the experience of researching and writing this book has led me to believe that Canadas librarians and archivists are exemplary in their skill and service, whether in person or over long distances. My gratitude goes out to George R. French of the Corner Brook Museum and Archives; Garry D. Shutlak of the Nova Scotia Archives; Patricia of the Spring Garden Road Library of the Halifax Public Libraries; Kristen Morton of the Moncton Museum and Archives; Patricia Scoffield of the Peterborough Public Library; Ivars Kops of the Burlington Public Library; Karen Ball-Pyatt of the Kitchener Public Library; Sandra Enskat of the St. Catharines Public Library; Margaret Houghton and Jennifer McFadden of the Hamilton Public Library; Denise Kirk of the Brantford Public Library; Kate McCullough of the Chatham Public Library; Pat Reid and Kirsten Bertrand of the Greater Sudbury Public Library; Rhoda Berger of the North Bay Public Library; Gordon Stonehouse of the Teck Centennial Library in Kirkland Lake; Kevin Meraglia of the Sault Ste. Marie Public Library; the reference Staff of the Thunder Bay Public Library; Elaine Kozakovich of the Saskatoon Public Library; May P. Chan of the Regina Public Library; Dana Turgeon of the City of Regina Archives; Barb Gillard of the Calgary Public Library; Shelley Ross of the Medicine Hat Public Library; Angie Mills of the Stanley E. Milner Library of Edmonton; Joe Haigh of the New Westminster Public Library; Patti Wotherspoon, Barbara Webb and Kate Russel of the Vancouver Public Library; and Stephen Ruttan of the Greater Victoria Public Library. Everyone listed here responded with sincere interest in my quest for information and made my job as a researcher much, much easier than it (frightfully) might have been.

Professor Franco A. Fava of the University of Turin contacted me and indicated that we had a shared interest in the history of commerce. His encouragement and support have led to a newfound friendship and desire for cooperation on future projects, including involvement with his planned online Museum of European Commerce (MECC).

A number of individuals took up my search for Eatons history by giving of their own precious time. Among these, I am indebted to Ross Crockford of Victoria for providing me with information about Eatons in the town of his residence and for showing me how valuable social media can be as a research tool. In this respect, the Vintage Victoria, Vintage Moncton and Vintage Charlottetown (Ian Scott) FaceBook pages were surprisingly helpful. Catherine Hennessey of Charlottetown generously shared her own research with me, simply for the asking. Darrell Bateman kindly allowed me to use his unique photos of Eatons stores in British Columbia. Historian John Rhodes generously helped with facts about Chatham, Ontarios long-gone Eaton operation. Guy Van Buekenhout transmitted his parents Eaton stories over a long distance, and Scott Nimmo was kind enough to send charge card images from his collection that grace this book. Hubert and Leona Smith of New Brunswick even helped me reconstruct the old Moncton Eatons over the phone!

During the research phase of this books preparation, I met Kelly Mathews of Toronto, who is a fount of knowledge about Eaton Hall, and the tour of the property that she conducted for my wife and me was splendid and profoundly informative. Kelly also introduced me to her dear and charming Nana, Olga Gudz, who shared her own story with me so entertainingly. I am also grateful to Kelly, who said that her Nana would enjoy my accent, for teaching me the proper pronunciation of Omemee, Lady Eatons birthplace. (Thats Oh, Mimi, by the way.)

A number of journalists indulged my requests for stories and information from Canadians who regularly listen to their radio programs or read their articles. As a result, I made contact with many of the people who were so keen to register their memories of working or shopping at Eatons. Among them are Vanessa Blanch of CBC Radio Moncton, Alan Cochrane and Brent Mazerolle of the Moncton Times and Transcript, Jeff Mahoney of the Hamilton Spectator and Diane Crocker of the Western Star.

It would take a book in and of itself to thank all those who spoke with me about their Eatons experience. Readers will find their names attached to the quotes they provided, and it will be clear to both readers and the contributors themselves that their recollections make this book come alive and put a human face on an enormous institution. My contact with all of these Canadians was certainly one of the great joys of taking on this book project.