Glace Bay, N.S. — Earl Morgan recalls people staring at the test pattern on one of the first television sets in Glace Bay.
“My family ran a store in New Aberdeen called Morgan’s Dairy and we sold everything,” said the longtime proprietor of Arlie’s Gifts and Fashions on Commercial Street.
“We had the first televisions in town. We had one in our house and one that was set up in the window of the store. We had it up before it even went live and people would stand outside and just stare at the test pattern, mesmerized. Can you imagine that now?”
Morgan has fond memories of the time when family-owned and operated businesses were at the heart of the community. He said he remembers when there were as many as 20 little stores in the Hub and New Aberdeen neighbourhoods of the former coal mining town. He said just one such shop now serves the area.
“It was a good time to be in business,” he said.
“In those days we sold everything from candy, three for a cent, to boats to meat, fridges, stoves. We had whatever people wanted. I remember when refrigerators were new and when we got an order in they would go back out the door very quickly because of the demand.”
CLOSING SHOP
Morgan, who started his 58-year business career as a pharmacist, now laments the demise of the family-run store. He has only recently announced that he is closing Arlie’s Fashion and Gifts. The popular Commercial Street establishment has been operating for more than a quarter of a century. Everything is on sale as he tries to clear stock before putting up the closed sign for good. For now, there is no timeline. And, since he advertised his going-out-of-business sale, the shop has been busy.
But it’s another case of too little, too late. Morgan still appreciates each and every customer and doesn’t hold them responsible for the pending closure. Even though business had been declining over the past decade, he said the latest challenge has been the pandemic. And he places the blame squarely on the impacts of COVID.
“It’s the pandemic,” he stated.
“Three years ago, I had an Arlie’s store in Baddeck, one in Sydney and one here in Glace Bay. But you could see the business just disappearing, especially in Baddeck. The pandemic just killed the business. Some days we had five customers, people were just not coming out.”
Both the Baddeck and Sydney stores have since closed and his flagship store is soon to follow.
RETIREMENT
At 77, Morgan reckons he’s finally OK with retirement. He lives off the Trout Brook Road and is looking forward to spending more time enjoying the Mira River. But while he may have reconciled his feelings about his own retirement, but he admits he’s not finishing up his business in the way he had envisioned.
“We noticed that business started to decline about 10 years ago,” he admitted.
“We lost a lot of older customers who were either sick or passed on. And they were really dedicated customers. Of course, we still have a few, but not enough. And, of course, online shopping has really hurt. There’s nothing we can do about it.
“When I started in the pharmacy after graduating from Dalhousie University, I think I could name some 40 business that were located down here and they were all prosperous. We had about three or four grocery stores, three jewelry stores, there were only three pharmacies but now there are a lot more. People’s shopping habits have changed.”
LOYAL PATRONS AND STAFF
With the closure comes the loss of jobs. But Morgan is cognizant of where his employees are in life. He noted that staffers Joan McCormick and Marlene MacKenzie are at the point where retirement is an option. His longtime store manager Joe Roach has been with him for more than three decades.
“There is never a good time to close a business, but at least I knew my staff were getting close to retirement so I knew I could close without it hurting them too much,” he said.
With the closure sale notice attracting more and more customers, the women have enjoyed bantering with customers and each other.
“We love working here,” declared McCormick.
Added MacKenzie: “And we work for the best boss ever.”
Meanwhile, the store has been a mix of loyal, longtime customers and new shoppers checking out the sale. In the side area that was once the Medicine Hall pharmacy, Francine O’Neill was found looking for that special something on one of the many well-stocked racks of clothing.
“I’ve been coming here forever and I will miss it, it’s sad that it has to close,” she said.
LEGACY
Away from the busy shop floor, Earl Morgan sat at his office desk and summed up his feelings about closing Arlie’s after such a long run.
“I am OK with not doing it anymore, but I am sad it has to end this way,” he said.
“For the past few years, Arlie’s has eased me into semi-retirement. There have been lots of things I have enjoyed about the business. I liked to do the buying, shopping, looking at the new items. When we started, it was all about gifts. Then we decided to go with clothes and it was one of the best decisions we made. But that, too, is changing.”
But life is change. And Morgan has seen lots of it. He began work as a pharmacist at the Medicine Hall, which he would eventually purchase from the late Stewart Sterns. Along the way, he branched out into retail. He also took time to volunteer for many community causes, including the Seaview Manor Seniors’ Foundation, which he chaired and is still a board member.
Ironically, one of his proudest accomplishments is the advice he once gave to his three children.
“I told them to train for health care because there will always be jobs anywhere in that profession,” said Morgan.
They took his advice.
Son Kyle is a chiropractor. Son Gavin is a pharmacist. And daughter Arlie, for whom the store was named after, is an occupational therapist.
Morgan has once last piece of advice to dispense to Cape Breton residents.
“Shop local — these businesses are a big part of our communities and they need your support,” he said.
David Jala is a multimedia reporter at the Cape Breton Post
