FROM THE NORTHSIDE
Family has strong roots in local business community
From Lebanon to Sydney Mines: family has strong roots in local business community.
Immigration is in the news lately but it has always been part of Canada’s story throughout the centuries – that’s how this country was formed.
Marcie Shwery-Stanley has many stories about how her side of the Rahey family came to the Northside, but her family always had a business in Sydney Mines.
Around the turn of the 20th century, David Rahey came from the city of Zahle in Lebanon; subsequently, he brought his brother Richard and sister-inlaw Deebie Rahey, otherwise known as “Sittie” (“Grandma” in Lebanese), to live with his family.
Richard is Marcie’s grandfather and that’s where the story begins.
David was operating an ice cream parlour in North Sydney. None of the family had a business in Sydney Mines at this point, and Richard worked with his brother.
Eventually, Richard opened an ice cream parlour in Sydney Mines. This was the beginning of the Rahey family’s businesses in Sydney Mines.
Marcie was very close to her grandmother who she said was “a walking history book.” Sittie shared many stories with her about life in the early days in Sydney Mines.
At this time, the steel plant (Nova Scotia Steel and Coal Company) was active there. As a result businesses flourished. Richard and Deebie’s ice cream parlour was so successful that Sittie told Marcie, “I had to empty the cash register a few times a day.”
Richard died in his 50s, so Sittie had to continue on as a single mother with eight children, five boys and three girls.
The first of the boys in business were “Oolie” (Nicholas) and “Icer ”(Arthur). They operated the Sanitary Market, a grocery store on Main Street in Sydney Mines.
Marcie remembers working a couple of weekends at the Sanitary Market.
“I spent hours bagging potatoes – large brin (burlap) bags of potatoes had to be broken down into small paper peck bags. I was six years old and thought this would be fun, and I was also making money, $2.00 a day. But this didn’t last long: I lost interest after a few weekends.”
Marcie’s aunt, Marie, continued to operate the ice cream parlour named Marie’s Fruit Store. She operated it successfully for many years, then moved to Zahle, Lebanon and married there.
She sold this business to her brother Jimmy (J.R. Rahey), and he expanded it by acquiring the Thompson & Sutherland property in Sydney Mines where one of his furniture and appliance stores is operating today.
Now the J. R. Rahey’s Stores include locations in Sydney Mines, Sydney, Antigonish and New Glasgow with the third generation of Raheys working in them.
Around 1972 Raymond Rahey, Marie’s brother, operated a dairy that subsequently burned down. After that he rebuilt, expanded and opened Raymond’s Department Store and R& H Chicken, a take-out. Around 1982 he closed the business and rented the
building to Sears. In addition, he built two commercial buildings alongside and rented them to businesses. Until his retirement, he operated Raymond’s Variety Store at the other end of Main Street.
Brad Rahey, a third generation Rahey and Raymond’s son, opened a Radio Shack outlet in Sydney Mines in 1978. He was a young entrepreneur at the age of 18. After a number of years, he moved the business to North Sydney where today he operates Bradley’s Entertainment Centre Ltd., a successful business on King Street, North Sydney.
“Although these memories may not be all inclusive, I am proud to be sharing them with you because they are part of my
“I spent hours bagging potatoes – large brin (burlap) bags of potatoes had to be broken down into small paper peck bags. I was six years old and thought this would be fun, and I was also making money, $2.00 a day. But this didn’t last long: I lost interest after a few weekends.”
Marcie Shwery-Stanley
heritage and reflective of the Rahey entrepreneurial spirit in our community.”
So this is a successful story about immigrants who came to Canada and bettered themselves and our communities.
Omission: In last week’s column on the Northside Sports Hall of Fame, Joe Druggan’s name should have been included in the list of founding board members.