Eugene’s carries on
Tommy and Joanne Perry’s final day is Feb. 1
Listening in as Tommy and Joanne Perry describe their store’s 79-year history and focusing on the 32 years that they’ve operated it, Carter Morrissey remarks, “I really don’t think I’m ever going to forget it.”
Keeping the history alive is important, he notes. Morrissey has been working alongside Tommy and Joanne at Eugene’s General Store on Church Street, Tignish, for the last three weeks, learning the ropes as he prepares to take over as store manager this Friday.
Morrissey’s rise to store manager coincides with his father, Joey, taking over ownership of the store.
The Perrys will close the store early on Feb. 1 to do a final inventory count. When it re-opens as usual on Feb. 2, the Morrisseys will be owner-operators. A Bernard family opened a convenience store and tinsmith shop at this location in 1939. Tommy’s parents, Eugene and Anne Marie Perry, took over the operation of the store in 1948, renting the building for three years before purchasing the property. They lived above the store, raising their nine children there.
They sold the business in 1976. Ten years and two owners later, newlyweds Tommy and Joanne Perry took ownership of the store.
Because Tommy and Joanne
were still employed in Toronto, his parents put their retirement on pause for five months until they made it to P.E.I.
It was Joanne who approached her father-in-law about renaming the store, “Eugene’s.”
“Every button came off his shirt, his chest came out that big,” Tommy described his father’s reaction.
Carter said his family doesn’t plan to change the name. Instead, he’s soaking up and embracing the store’s history. He’s proud that the store is part of the daily routine for many residents of the community.
“As soon as they see them walking in the door, (staff) know that person is getting a pack of cigarettes, a newspaper and a small single-single,” he gave a
‘for-instance’ description of the staff’s knowledge of their customers.
“This community has got to be the best in the world for supporting you,” Tommy said in describing the store’s success.
He’s confident the Morrisseys will discover that, too.
Joanne said she’s flattered that area residents expressed interest in buying their store. A few people, including Joey Morrissey, told them to keep them in mind if they ever contemplated selling. They made their decision last summer.
“I said, ‘Dad, we’re not losing this.’ I think I was the one who was pushing,” Carter said.
He recently gave up an engineer’s position at Tignish Fisheries to learn the ropes of retail.
Carter has found a way to fit right in. He bought a pair of red suspenders, something that has been part of Tommy’s attire for years. “If he keeps hanging around the meat slicer, he will fill them up, too,” chuckled Tommy.
At age 26, Carter is the same age Joanne was when she moved from a job in the Eaton Centre’s Toronto buying office to help run the convenience store. Joanne says they’ve accomplished their hopes and dreams with the store. “Thirty-two years later we have 19 or 20 staff right now. I’m very proud to say, we made this, it’s a landmark, I think. It’s a really big chunk of our community and now that someone fresh and young, such as Carter, is going to come in. Well he’s got dreams and ideas and opportunity.”