After two years of having to travel 32 km to get a pint of milk, the residents of the village of Franquelin, on the North Shore, were finally able to see their convenience store open its doors again thanks to the initiative of a citizen.
Led for 33 years by Martine Paquet and Richard Légaré, the Franquelin convenience store had no successors when its owners wanted to retire in 2020.
The only store in the village of 285 people therefore remained closed until last April, Karine Briand decided to buy it.
Ms. Briand says it all started with a joke. “One morning, I was making a recipe and I realized that I had no more milk. Seeing that I was going to have to drive more than an hour to get some in Baie-Comeau, 32 km from here, suddenly I no longer felt like cooking. Then I said to my spouse: “At worst, we are going to open a convenience store in our garage to sell eggs and milk!” That’s when he replied, “Why don’t you buy the convenience store?” Finally, I thought about it for two weeks and then I went for it,” she says.
GASOLINE SOON?
If the convenience store survived, the same cannot be said for the refueling service it housed and which was important for citizens and travelers.
There is no longer a gas station between Baie-Comeau and Baie-Trinité, a distance of nearly 90 km. But there is currently hope, says the mayor of Franquelin, Steeve Grenier.
“We have mowers, snowmobiles, snowblowers to power. It becomes complicated to transport gasoline in cans when you don’t have a pick-up. Fortunately, it seems that the convenience store will soon be able to get a gas concession,” rejoices Mr. Grenier.
The vitality of this trade is very important for the village whose school has just closed this year, for lack of children to attend, says the mayor.
“The convenience store is the soul of the village. The municipality had considered the options, but a cooperative project was not viable. When we saw that it had been purchased, we crossed our fingers. It’s a godsend!” he said.