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S$28â€"7682 H BE ENERGY SMART... CHOOSE NATURAL GAS Lois Picard: local retailing landmark to close @@enrmmminnum WEDNESDAY, MARCH PAGE 8 HEARTHMANOR TheSELECT1GROUP FUTURE FLAMES T5 Dundas St. W., Miss (1 kmweast of Aikenheads & ireplace Clearance Centre _ Energy Efficiency Experts Make the smart choice with a natural gas fireplace. About 16¢ an hour to operate. Starts up with the flip of a switch. No wood to buy, haul, store or chop. No ashes to clean up or flying sparks to worry about. The Price Club) Advertiseme )0 BUSINESS & FINANCE Call a member Union Gas Fireplace Dealer today! NO PAYMENTS FOR 120 DAYS! $47â€"1179 South Service Rd. W., Oakville Trafalgar Village played host to The Tiger Paw Exotics etting zoo as part of their K'larch Break festivities last week. Left, both adults and children enjoyed petting the various goats, lf;mas and sheep. Far left, Tim Height coaxes Lamie Chalmers to pet the baby tiger cub visitin the mall. Below right, da§ helps a billy goat enjoy a snack while junior looks on. This Place Looks Like A Zoo... 1200 (Photo by Peter McCusker) QEW TB Select Grou South Service Rd Energy Efficiency Experts Speers Rd. 03 )R 1s°‘o$°0*‘0 e entyie H "I will strive for the same goals (which made P&L successâ€" ful), but I won‘t need the staff and I won‘t need nearly the amount of product to look after," Picard said of the new business endeavor. Named for Pic and Lois, P&L survived ups and downs, includâ€" ing the death of Picard‘s husband "It‘s going to be something completely way off in left field, something completely different," she said, a slight smile across her lips. Although P&L is closing for good, Picard doesn‘t plan to retire herself. In fact, after a short break, she plans to open another business. Picard declined to disâ€" close what type of business it will be or where it will be located. "I‘m very proud of the 33 years. It‘s unbelievable how quickly it‘s gone by," Picard said while sitting in her office, located just off the store‘s storage room. Now that P&L Office Supply Ltd. is closing its doors on April 17th, Picard, president of the Downtown Oakville Business Improvement Area, looks back on those years with both fondness and a touch of amazement. hen Lois Picard and her s;s/ late husband "Pic‘" first opened an office supply business on Lakeshore Road in downtown Oakville, they never imagined the business would be around 33 years later. By SAL BOMMARITO Oakville Beaver Staff Downtown landmark to close R * Ihe ofenkinsâ€"Agency T lhmited amount of exhibitor space is still available ikville Lifestyle Home Show, April 16, 17, 18, : creation Centre. If your business could use direct ex WANTED! ntler & L Office Supply Ltd. le Home Show will d esled consumers over an excitinge m. Dave Jenkins now The Jenkins Agency also organizes Home Shows in Milton, rlington, Mississauga, Hamilton, Brampton and St. Catharines 338â€"9276 Natural gas is cleaner burning than wood, so it‘s kinder to the environment. Can be installed in almost any room in your house. orm 572 Ker St. Oaktown Plaza. (near Canadian Tire) ipa Gas Fireplaces mor efinitely information at 827â€"4632. in 1979. Up until his death, the business was divided into the school and office supplies side â€" which was handled by Pic â€" and the "social" side (gift wrap and greeting cards) â€" handled by Lois. She said the business still holds a lot of sentimental value for the family. It‘s not surprising Picard has chosen to retire the business‘s name rather than sell it for a profit. "My sons can‘t remember when there wasn‘t a P&L. I was always working," she said. Picard said the business evenâ€" tually became an integral part of the family‘s life. Picard said the business has been at the present location since 1970. Prior to that, it was located just two doors down on Lakeshore. Still, the business thrived and the Picards did well enough to employ seven people. When Pic died, all that changed, Picard said. "I had to jump in cold." "Everybody took the P&L for ‘profit and loss.‘ (Pic) was responsible for the ‘profit‘ side and I always came out on the ‘loss‘ side," Picard recalled fondâ€" ly ‘"I‘ve prided my business on giving personalized service. When I have to cut my staff in half and compromise on perâ€" sonalized service, l don‘t want to be in business anymore," Lois Picard. till available in the 4th Annual 6, 17, 18, at the Glen Abbey use direct exposure to thousands 3â€"day pmof. then the Oakville of interest to you! To obtain a : please contact during the hours A lot of people have asked QEW Future Flames Gas Fireplaces OAKTOWN PLAZA Speers Rd. M | Lakeshore For more information about the association, call 842â€"2486. The Halton Multicultural Business Association began in the fall of 1991 to assist memâ€" bers of the business communiâ€" ty in working with and within the multicultural community. The association holds breakfast meetings on the last Tuesday of each month and presents a wide variety of speakers. Luykenaar, who has served on the council‘s board of direcâ€" tors, is the senior associate for management consulting with BDO _ Dunwoody Ward Mallette Chartered Accountants in Burlington. He is also the owner of De Nederlandse COURANT, Canada‘s oldest Dutch lanâ€" guage newspaper published out of Burlington. He is a member of the Rotary Club of Burlington and is a member of several Dutchâ€"Canadian assoâ€" ciations. Luykenaar is also a former director and industrial campaign chairman of the United Way of Milton. ‘Why not sell (the name)?‘ But I could never sell the name. I‘d rather retire it," she said. Good times were followed by bad and the store was divided in half and leased to another busiâ€" ness. The store‘s staff was also cut in half. Halton Multicultural Business Association Theo Luykenaar, P. Mgr., has been appointed as chairâ€" man _ of _ the _ Halton Multicultural Business Association succeeding Joe Miller. "I don‘t blame anybody for going someplace to get cheaper prices, but don‘t expect me to be here to give you the service. You can‘t have it both ways," she said. "I‘ve prided my business on giving personalized service. When I have to cut my staff in half and compromise on personalâ€" ized service, I don‘t want to be in business anymore," Picard said. She said the loss of sales coinâ€" cided with the involvement of large retailers into the office and school supplies business. The sitâ€" uation worsened with the birth of retail warehouses that carry huge amounts of volume and offer rockâ€"bottom prices. Cost for the seminar is $95. For registration and informaâ€" tion, call Andy Stokes at 272â€" 7689 Picard doesn‘t mince words when asked about the cirecumâ€" stances surrounding the store‘s closure. "It was the (poor) economy," she said pointâ€"blank. "My busiâ€" ness is based on a smallâ€"price point. You have got to have volâ€" ume. But the volume isn‘t there," Picard said. The seminar, to be held at the Holiday Inn, is specially designed for independent busiâ€" ness people, homeâ€"based busiâ€" ness people, secondary school and university students and anyone who is planning to own their own business. Canadian . ./ Achiever seminar The leader of the 12:30 p.m.â€"5:30 p.m. seminar is Dick Drew, one of Canada‘s leading marketing consultants, author and broadcaster. Also appearâ€" ing will be a panel of leading local business specialists. The Oakville Beaver, the Oakville Chamber of Commerce and C.H.W.O. preâ€" sent The Canadian Achiever small business seminar on Tues. April 20th. BURNS FRY\ | Fidelity Investments Canada SPREAD Sheet (Al6) Mark Slipp 0 1633