Grafton’s remembered
Part 3 of a detailed look at downtown’s Peterborough’s thriving Department Store Row and how it dominated retail in the 19th and early 20th centuries
Already in the 1850s, major downtown buildings were added along Hunter Street, and at the corner of George and Hunter, James Henthorn was commencing building on George and Hunter; three storeys high, brick cornicing and a flat roof covered with tin. He built double stores on George, and single on Hunter. Henthorn’s buildings were being built by Spencely. Henthorn was replacing buildings destroyed by recent fire which Poole believed “would have been sufficient to paralyze a less energetic mind.”
Peterborough’s first public sewer was built in 1851 along George Street from immediately north of Hunter to King Street, where it followed under the street and into the river. Poole commented, “This work was of the greatest public utility, and contributed largely in succeeding years to the health of the town.” (Poole 66)
The first buildings on Market Square in the block from George to Water, and from Simcoe to Charlotte, were built in 1852. These two buildings were destroyed by fire in 1857 and immediately replaced. “Its tasteful front is creditable to the town, while its capacious shops, of great depth, afford ample accommodation for the extensive business carried on within their precincts. These buildings were erected, not by the corporation, but by private individuals, under a ground lease for 21 years; the town being bound either to renew the leases of pay for the improvements at an estimate of their value.” (Poole 67)
In 1869, on the block then described as Hunter, west George, south 1, which includes all the buildings from Hunter Street half way to Simcoe Street, there were several stores noted.
Thomas Bradburn in groceries and William Cluxton in dry goods were each valued at just under $5,000. Using later street numbering, Bradburn was at 383; James Stevenson, described as a stove merchant, was at 381 George; earlier had been at 367. At this time, Cluxton was probably at 385 (our 1861 photograph showed “Dry Goods” sign on his building); the iconic Cluxton Building was built during 1880 and 1881. In 1851, Poole notes that Peterborough’s first sidewalk went from the Albert House (then at Hunter) to Cluxton’s.
George Mitchell’s saloon, according to the 1865 directory, was at the corner of Hunter, say 399, and there were grocery stores near Mitchell’s; probably Thomas Collins and Thomas Beatty, both of whom appear in the 1865 directory.
Robert Hamilton was operating a hardware store which was advertised in 1865 as “Sign of the Circular Saw.”
John McClelland , who described himself as a practical watchmaker and jeweler, was probably at 391 George, which was later home to R.W. Muncaster, a watchmaker and jeweller. It is very difficult to be more precise because our modern street numbering system was only started in 1887. Customers seemed to know how to find their stores.
Looking at the directory for 1888-1889, we see some overlap. Robert Fair’s department store was at 383, formerly Bradburn’s store, and Bradburn continued to own the building to the 1990s. John Hackett was running a dry goods store at 385 George, while George C. Clark, a tailor and clothier, was at 391 George. P.D. Doran and M. Sullivan and Company were at 393 and 395, respectively. Thomas Dolan’s dry goods emporium was in the Cluxton Building, described as the Cluxton-Cox building in the 1888-89 directory. In 1888, there is no longer a hardware store in this part of the block.
The middle part of Department Store Row emerged as a major part of George Street quite early. The Dixon Block was 375-379 according to Martha Kidd. 375 and 377 were usually occupied by the same firm.
For nearly two decades, Gough Brothers were located here. Merrell and Meredith were there in the years before the First World War. Woolworth’s occupied the double store from before 1918 until 1955, when its new premises at Charlotte and George were ready.
Over the next period, Dolcis was at 375 and Walkwell shoe store at 377; but Walkwell’s was in both parts of the store until quite recently. Now Pensieri shoes is at 375, and Gentry men’s and women’s clothing is at 377.
The other part of the Dixon Block was 379, now the site of Shots. None of the three storefronts of the Dixon Block appeared in the 1888 directory.
In the 1890s, Routley’s fancy wares were at 279 and Henri LeBrun, men’s wear and tailor shop was at 381. When Peterborough’s lacrosse team won permanent possession of the Gildersleeve Cup in 1883, the team gave the trophy to LeBrun, their manager and coach. In the 1908 edition of the Electric City, LeBrun’s store was well described.
“The finely appointed outfitting establishment of Messrs. H. LeBrun & Company, merchant tailors and importers, dates back to 1873. They occupy the entire threestory brick building with entrances both on George & Hunter streets. The first floor is devoted to showroom and offices. The second floor is given over to reserve stock and the third floor to work-rooms. This company carries the finest quality imported and domestic clothes and, being practical tailors and cutters, assure every patron perfect satisfaction. A splendidly assorted stock is carried of readymade clothing, gents’ furnishings, hats, caps, etc. Apart from the distinction of being the oldest tailoring establishment in the city, this store is one of the most complete and reliable. Mr. LeBrun, whose executive ability and good business judgment have been responsible for the success of this business, is one of the most influential business men in Peterborough to-day.”
Grafton’s Department Store, started in Dundas in 1853, came to Peterborough in 1892. W.E. Conway was manager, 1892-1926, of the Grafton’s store in Peterborough, while Chris Hughes was manager, 1926-1954. Collins McBride was the manager from 1954 to 1974. Clare Galvin referred to a group of George Street stalwarts who were the key educators of new salesmen, and Grafton’s because of its long continuity was the most important “course of study.”
Chris Hughes was one of my first neighbors in Peterborough and I had the impression that he was able to run the store with considerable independence.
From the outset, Grafton’s specialized in ready-to-wear and made to measure clothing for boys and men. Quite early, the company had a factory adjacent to its Dundas store which produced many of the lines of men’s and boy’s clothing sold in its stores.
Peterborough’s first Grafton’s store was at 387 George Street from 1892 to 1908 when it moved to larger premises at 379-381 George, where it remained until 1977, when the store was renamed Jack Fraser’s, and continued as that to 1990.
When Collins McBride came to Peterborough, “there were at least 15 full-time employees including two office women, two tailors, a woman who looked after the receiveables and ticketing of merchandise, three or four in furnishings, two men in the suits’ department, a chap running a large, popular, workwear department, a window-dresser and a full-time caretaker.”
Collins McBride brought considerable life experience with him. He had worked in a family manufacturing business and had served in the Royal Air Force during the war, mainly as a radar specialist. His retail career began in 1936, and he worked in Graftonstores in Hamilton, Brantford and Dundas before coming to Peterborough, then the largest of Grafton’s eight or nine stores.
Grafton’s was the largest men’s and boys’ wear store in the area, and consequently drew customers both urban and rural. Bob McBride says that during the 1950s and 1960s, women’s departments were secondary. After McBride retired the George Street store became Jack Fraser’s men’s wear, a Grafton’s brand, which lasted until the mid-1980s when Nabour Stores occupied the double store.
Grafton’s, here for 85 years serving Peterborough for five generations, was a mainstay for shoppers as well as other businessmen along George Street.
NOTE: Special thanks to Bob McBride. Trent Valley Archives is running pub crawls and ghost walks during October. For details see www.trentvalleyarchives.com or phone 705-745-4404.