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Page 8, Whitby Free Press, Wednesday, November 11. 1992 Paintsores ....................... . ~ clOses, dow after operating 20 years in downtown Whitlby. Mate tlHenry Street H.S. co-op student ByMkeKowalski Çanadaps lingering recession- has claimed anothervictim. After 20, years as- a family- owned 'business -in downtown- Whitby, Porkins Paint & Wallco- verings closes its doors for. good lator this month. The Byron St. S. store officially ceases operations Nov. .30, but the final working day will corne much earlier - as soon as the last paintbrush and tin of'tur- pentine are sold. While owner Bob Perkins has pqsted signs in the store's front window. announcing both the closing and a haîf-price sale, ho has also takon the unusual stop of telling the public the reason for his decision. -In large letters Perkins' sign Chamber .' frustrated' over Bill40 -The Whitby Chamber of Com- merce is, «conifused and frustra- ted» over last week's passage3 of Bill 40,'the Labour- Relations, Reform Act. Lynn Woods, chair of- the' cbamber's government relations committeo, says that despite a Whitby chaxnber presentation at Queen s Prkte express business community concerns about the Bill, «notbmg bas been amendod» Ln t.he- legislation ý.that was «This is still leuislation that favours.,the balance - of 'power. teward the employees,»e saysm Woode. - The, Whitby,.,chamber -had exprssed concoi é abbut certain elemoents of the legisiation, in- cluding,,those dealing with replacemenit workers, the certifi- cation process and 'protesting'on private property. «At a tin o,,wbei-ï Ontarioý and B.C. are being lo4ed atas tJio ,tiio ýengines té -dr%-Ve ýthCana- dian economy, NDP goverinents have passed this -regreosîve, seemingly anti-business legisla- tion,» says Woods. "We're confused and frustrated "atthe NDP rationale.» «Where was the commitment te public consultation on this matter?» says Marc Kealey, the chamber's governinent relations committeo member'. 1 . "Our chambor- brougbt some very key. concerns te -the govern- ment and were stymied that Bob .Rate and-bis party wold choose a verystrident approachte eln ith business groups. "It does not bode well for busi- ness ini Ontario.» «This -is a sad day for, Ontario's business commu nity,» says Osh- awa chamber presidont Ai Sime- son. The Oshawa chamber plans te, hold semninars to help small busi- ness deal with the changed labour-mnanagement climsite. Ontario Labour Ministor Bob Mackenzie says the, legislation relfects. the «new realities of tho workplace and the economy.» The -Ontario Feder ' on of Labour supports the legi slation. LAFONTAINE S,NEW-LOCATIONi Bigeow'sBlok,-comes -,fuit circl By Mlark Reesor Léafontaine Trading Postes new location. is one of the few remainn good examples of renaissance revival architecture left in Ontr0. Lafontaine's Bernadatte Simms says sbe's been told there isn't even a )od example of it in Toronto - it's really rare» ITh-odiang Post opened*in its new location Nov. 2 after more than a montb of renovations and restorations to the 133-year-old building at 106 Dundas St. W. that bas been empty for more than Thiemodern facing. of the building, added by the previous' occupant, bas been removed, says Simms, wbo notes they were cisappointed te find that the original cast iron . Corinthian columns on the original facade were gone. Despite that setback, Simîns and sisters Cathy Rousseau and Carole Harrington bave tried te duplicate the building's original appearance, fasbioning new columins and exposing the original stonework.. They based thoir rostorative- work on a picture provided by Whitby archivist Bilan Winter who copied it from a drawing of the.store on the 'Tromaino Map of Ontario County,' publisbedl in 1860 (a restored copy of the bu ge map, which lists al property ownors of the day, hangs inth main branch of tho Whitby Library). The building, called 'Bigelow's Bloclc,' bas cuite abistery. It was constructed as a general store fin 189 by Jool Bigelow, a wealtby Whitby merchant. Simins says the building bas corne full circle. «ht was a general store ini 1859, and tbat's what wo are.» Bigelow called bis establsshment 'The People's Cbeap Cash Store,' but spared no expense on the building itself, spending three timýes what a bass ornate one would have cost. Bigelow only oýperated bis business for four years. Winter says ho lee'Whitby'iiL1,864, likely *becauso of a depressionin the graIn marlcet.'tte seek hisforýtunie in the United States. Ho ended up in ,Chicago,.where ho, did v' ery well in real estato. Bieo w'sbuldw was -rented te a nuznber of people- followinoe bis deartur ,cuýding .Robert Jameson, "an importer ana dealer in familygrýceries, ivines and liquors" who..renamed it, 'The Italian Wrbehu.' It aiso housed a jewelry store, bakery and confectionary shop, and a varioty of restaurants, mýost recently Le Chalet Steàk House, the last oçup s eor Lafontaine (it moved in Brock St. N. in 1980). _ «Wo've tried te i'o4<>ýreit wr even going te ýut (up) sonie of the words ho (B igelofv):had on is sdgignage,» says Simms. - .,jeRpAhe original àà&W,4h*î& te, go through two subfloors, two layers of tile and two layers of lineolum te get toit «It was damaged,» notes Simms, -"but, we hae tped it down and treated it and W. feel tbat~s part of the charin ofit» The new location give's Lafontaine at least double the space of the previous locati on, allowing it te céarry "the saine kind of stock that wo had and mo're," says Rousseau. A new lino of nmn's wear, all-natural feminine body care producta and silver.-Pl4t d tea sets and incense imported fromn India are some of the P.roducts that bave been added. The sisters anmd their bhusbands have done such a great job of f»Ixi nghup the store-', one wag was heard te comment that bers houghto h ot way of fixing up Whitb rs downtown - just got Lfor.taine.to move every tbree montbs! s "" .' ýX"' > ca 4 ~~L1~&8- 5TýEET, reads: 'We are .fed up with the governraents, taxes &- the econorny. We are closing the store. '. Ever sinco I put tho sign in the window itfs been the best sales day we've had,» said Per- kins with a wry smile. However, the impondingj clos- ing has bee anything butf plea- sant for him. and-his employees. "Ifs^very emotional -closing dowîn a fam.ily business. If's a- sourceof pride, y ou don't want to lot go» said Perkins.. >"It's a ýpainful, difficuit thing to do when you close something you've poured your life into.» Originally ownecl by Dodd &i Souter (now located on the oppo- site side of Byron), the sto re was purchased by Perkins' father Bill in 1972., Bob assumed ownership, of the business two, years ago upon bis' father's retirement. «We're into our thiid decade and we've been tbrougb a couple of recessions, but nothing lîke this one," said Perkins, in opannhis decision te close. Ho said',Canada spreviaus recession in 1981-82, was «Idif- feront» than the current econo- mie slump. "During the last one there were high interest rates but steady pofits. Consumer spend- ing didn't change, industrial- based sales didn't change,» said Perkins. «TMis ýrecession, our retail busi- ness is fine butý our 'industrial business has just about dis- apeared., ap"In this, business, industrial volume bas to subsidize the iretail n In thý- past,ý Perkins could always xely, on bis industrial customers and government con- tracts, but not any more. Ho said companios are dolay- ing, non-essential work, .while rvernment does not; have the U«Lasco Steel is'doing fine but they're holding back ýwith main- tenance and ronovations. "The Town of Whitby Is ýlayig off employees, itscosing Dur- bain Regon millions for wel- fare...the won't be spending« mon ey.» Perkins said his financial diffi- culties did'not «cérop, up aI of a sudden,», but had, their, origanù almost two years ago When-the federal goods and services tax (GST) took effect. «Since thon I've put -ail rn money inte keepingit running.» However, earlier this year Per- kins decided ho could no' longer pafford to -keeppumping moîey Into the business. "We looked te seeë if there was- light at *the, end of 'tho 'tunnel gul thnaimprove?..ý.We -founc no sigzn that it *willY >AIthough 'Perkins blam es ýthe fgederal"governmont for. introduc- ing the -GST, no level of govern- ment escapes bis wrath., «The core .of downtownWhitby is dying 'rapidly. Thereý are a lot of-vacant buildingsand the Town is doi'n nýothing tehelp itself.11' Porkins said both council and the Downtown, Business' Im- provement >Area- muet share ros- ponsibility , for attraéting busi- nes 'ë th*-downtown ctore., yet aoîJjx~.l ~PAGE11 7,71Z, WRITBY. i