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FEB/MAR 2017 • Local Business News, activities and events
Speedvale Ave. Ave. W W., ., GUELPH Gordon Gor don St., GUELPH Stone Road Mall, GUELPH Alma St., ROCKWOOD
Shopkeeper loves being part of core community
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Flour Barrel owner Gerry O’Farrell and long-time employee Heather Elliott who has worked at the store for more than 30 years. The way Gerry O’Farrell sees it, downtown Guelph is more than just a place to shop, it’s like a community unto itself. O’Farrell should know. This year is his 35th anniversary owning and operating the Flour Barrel on Wyndham Street. “One of the the things I love most about downtown Guelph is it’s a real community,” he said. While one-time visitors may enjoy the variety of stores in the core, they likely will miss out on its essence, he said. There’s a family-like feeling among those who make downtown part of their regular lives. Some people drive and park in and around the core area and take in the historical environs. Others walk downtown from area neighbourhoods and do the same. “The people that really enjoy downtown are real fans of being shoppers and spending time down here,” said O’Farrell. “They come downtown and spend half a day, go for breakfast, go to the market, visit a bunch of stores. It's something they really look forward to and enjoy.” There have been a lot of changes over the past three-and-a-half decades. When his business started, O’Farrell was but a pup next to many longtime downtown, venerable merchants. “I remember some of those older shopkeepers
when I was here,” he fondly recalled. “They would tell me stories that a rainy day was the best day for business. That was the day all the farmers couldn't get into their fields so they would come to town and do their shopping.” Gone are those days as are past mercantile anchors such as the Eaton Centre and Budd’s in its heyday. Even the old main post office was an important downtown hub, he said. “It’s changed but I would not say for the better or worse,” he said of the core’s current makeup. “Now there are smaller boutique stores and lot of entrepreneurs and a lot of people making a living down here. “It makes for a very interesting and unique community.” The Flour Barrel was the brainchild of Gerry’s father Edward O’Farrell. “He saw the trend and was one of the early adopters” of the bulk food business, said Gerry of the store’s founding in 1982. Today, just as when the store opened, it caters to people who like to create in the kitchen. “Food is one of those things that people can be passionate about and when it comes to ingredients. They are willing to source out just the right quality ingredient,” he said. “For a lot of these people it's either a hobby or a philosophical
belief about cooking from scratch and having basic ingredients, fresh ingredients and organic ingredients.” Back in the 1800s if you wanted flour, it came from a barrel; hence the store’s name Flour Barrel. Just as the name is taken from the past, bulk food buying is also a throwback to simpler times. “Customers today, the reason they shop here is, they don't want to generate waste like packaging. They re-use containers. They'll bring in their mason jars, re-use their bags. It’s interesting in that they're almost going full circle going back to that time when everything was was more basic,” he said. O’Farrell considers himself fortunate to not only to have survived all his years as an downtown independent business owner, but enjoying the ride at the same time. “I feel like a really lucky duck to have spent 35 years on the main street of Guelph. You meet so many people, I feel part of the community and I feel fortunate to have raised a family doing this,” he said. As for downtown itself? “Forget about your rushing lifestyle. Just come on down, saunter around and discover some of the really cool things down here.” (More page 2)
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