The Way We Were Then

The 1930s were hard, lean years indeed.

Many of Alliston’s people were out of work. Property values fell, as did the value of products produced both in town and on the farms. Many who had retired with a feeling of confidence and security suddenly saw their hopes dashed. Their investments, especially those in stocks, seemed to disappear over night. My grandparents were among these Allistonians.

They owned several houses in Toronto but the tenants couldn’t pay the rent. The property taxes still had to be paid. Rather than face foreclosure, they simply gave the houses to friends or family for a dollar. It took a lot of optimism and courage to invest in the future during the great depression of the 1930s.

Wib Moon and his wife, Maisie, had that kind of courageous optimism in those early years, and they were seeking the right town in which to locate a new store. They had a grocery store in Collingwood, but people could scarcely afford to buy food in the 1930s. Of course, those on surrounding farms grew their own food. Times were tough for those with grocery stores, and the Moons wanted not only a different location, but also a different line of products. They decided to leave Collingwood.

For a while they considered locating in Stayner or Shelburne, but did not find what they were seeking so they came to Alliston. Here, they found a store with an apartment above it located right in the middle of town, and it could be bought for a fair price. They decided to take it and make a new start, even though some stores were going out of business.

It was in 1934 when the little family of three moved to town. They wanted a product line that was cheap enough for the poor people to afford. The new store would be called Moon’s Five Cents To A Dollar Store.

Eventually, they found that Stedman Bros. could supply such products. They placed their first order and waited excitedly for it to arrive. They recalled that the first person to welcome them to town was Alliston’s Constable George Purchase.

In those days, the constable walked the business section at night making sure the doors were secure. In such times, poor folk sometimes turn to robbing out of desperation. Who could blame them?

My father remembered a time when a poor father went into the hardware store. He said, “I need an axe to cut wood to heat our home, and I have no money. If you don’t give me the axe, I will return tonight and steal it.” What was a storekeeper to say?

In those days, most Allistonians were good Christians. They remembered the words of Jesus, which stated that if you have two coats and your brother has none, you should give him one. They also remembered Jesus teaching that whatever they did for the least of these poor folk, they were doing it for Jesus. The poor man was given the axe, which he desperately needed. Such was life in the 1930s, and even the Moon’s store was robbed several times.

Well, as time passed by, the young family worked together to make their store the way it should be. They kept it bright and well organized and clean. I remember that many products were displayed on the flat counters of the times, with glass dividers separating small items.

Wib Moon made a small, open office for himself in a raised area at the back, where he could see everything that was going on in the store below him. Soon, he knew which townsfolk were shoplifters and he kept an eye on them. In time, they were able to hire an employee. She was told to keep dusting and cleaning when there were no customers.

There was always work to do and as the three children became old enough, they shared the workload. Even in the night, Mr. Moon had to go down below to the basement to add firewood to the heating system, which eventually changed over to coal.

Eventually, the great depression ended just as the Second World War started in 1939. Townsfolk had a little more money to spend. Once again, Victoria Street was jammed with people on Saturday evenings.

They preferred to visit their neighbours until nearly midnight when suddenly they would all rush to do their shopping errands, creating great line-ups as the poor cashier cranked the old hand-operated cash register. The money rolled in and soon it was time for expansion. As adjoining stores became available, they were purchased and the Moon’s Stedmans store grew. They bought Gib Bradbury’s shoe store on one side, and McCarroll’s Meats on the other side. Then it became a big store with more employees. Probably the best remembered cashier was Bessie McFarlane.

Since the store was so big, and the times so prosperous, somewhere over the years, the sign “Five Cents To A Dollar”, disappeared. The supplies of stock filled the basement and young daughter Syliva spent her Saturdays down there marking prices.

Wib always dressed like a proper gentleman in a shirt and tie. I recall that he always gave me the impression of a calm and wise man who knew every detail of his fine store. He always seemed worthy of our respect.

Time seems to pass quickly for active folk. Soon, the 1940s became the ‘50s and then the ‘60s. Sons Gerry and Dennis took on more and more responsibilities.

Maisie had always admired the nice brick home at the southeast corner of Victoria Street and Dufferin Street. They bought it in 1945, and soon they bought a cottage at Wasaga Beach.

Maisie was an artist and found time to paint. The store was not only Wib’s work but also his hobby. He did enjoy watching his team, the Toronto Maple Leafs, on television.

The Moon’s was a success story and the good Lord blessed them, and for many years their great store was a landmark in the centre of Alliston. It seemed that when we country folk went into town, we always went to Moons first.

That’s the way we were then.

For more about the yesteryears of old Alliston, see the next Wednesday's Alliston Herald.