While village stores are gradually closing, and the proportion of small municipalities without convenience stores has doubled in Quebec between 2006 and 2022, Sainte-Edwidge-de-Clifton is resisting. His convenience store, which was threatened with disappearance, was rescued by a duo of local entrepreneurs, but also by a supportive population. Story of a rescue.
Sylvain Grégoire owned the “Ultra” convenience store in Sainte-Edwidge, in Estrie, for 28 years. After countless years without taking a vacation and managing stocks with stress, the time came one day to let go of the reins of the only business in the village of 550 souls. The “for sale” sign remained posted for a long time without Mr. Grégoire finally resigning himself to abandoning the establishment. “It would have been valuable to let that go,” he confides to Duty.
Salvation came from Pierre Scalabrini and his colleague Stéphane Tremblay, two entrepreneurs from the area. The two had, however, moved outside the village. It was a bit out of love for their part of the country that they decided to come back and take control of the company. Since then, they have given their time almost freely to keep the urban core of their original village alive.
“It takes managers willing to give time. That’s all well and good, but we can’t get by on the salary,” explains Pierre Scalabrini. “It’s not about making money. It’s barely making its payments. »
The store is not “just” a convenience store. A hardware store, a post office and an SAQ branch are also included in the business. As an investigation by the Duty, this type of multifunctional business is never far from closing. The same services are also located a few minutes away by car, in the town of Coaticook. “The population must want to keep it open,” remarks the new owner. “It’s a little more expensive, but it makes a difference in keeping it. »
Preventing a vicious cycle of closures
The mayor of Sainte-Edwidge, Bernard Marion, can only be delighted to see fellow citizens save the commercial future of his village. He, who also wears the hat of prefect of the MRC of Coaticook, has seen businesses in neighboring municipalities disappear one after the other. What “makes the difference”, according to him, is the will of the local people. “It takes a village to raise a child, but so does keeping a convenience store. Two or three villages even. »
Its municipal council helped the new owners as best it could by purchasing some advertising space or providing whatever financial support it could provide.
The loss of such an establishment “is not quantifiable”, according to him. “Without a convenience store, it’s the beginning of the end. You become a dormitory village without souls without life if you no longer have a convenience store. Afterwards, it’s the wicket that leaves. Everything comes together. You lose an advantage between two villages. There are fewer families coming. The school is emptying. And there, another part of the municipality is leaving. »
The general store, or what remains of it, remains a meeting place in a village. A citizen, Yvon Bessette, interrupts the interview of the Duty in the convenience store to add your grain of salt. “I come here because the baloney is fresh. The ham is fresh. The milk is fresh. It also depends on the people behind the counter. Sociable, diplomatic, polite employees are always pleasant. »
The employees also keep the establishment open in the evenings and weekends. Lucie McLish manages the “Ultra” convenience store and voluntarily chose to leave her job in Coaticook to come work in Sainte-Edwidge. The “family” aspect of the new owners convinced her. “The human side resonates with me. »
This report is supported by the Local Journalism Initiative, funded by the Government of Canada.