ABOUT US
Family Owned and Operated
General Grocery Store situated at 15 North Street, Lockeport, Nova Scotia.
Carrying a fresh variety of fruits and vegetables, meats, store-made sausages, fish (when available), in-store bakery, as well as a full line of groceries.
We are Lockeport’s only grocery store and are centrally located in the heart of town at 15 North Street. We carry a variety of fresh produce, we cut meat in-house daily and have a deli counter where you can have your choices cut to your liking. Visitors come from miles away to get our store-made sausages that are always gluten and preservative free and made weekly. Fresh bread, rolls, cookies and pastries are baked daily. Fill that hole in your tummy with a delicious sub or sandwich, made fresh daily, and a cup of the best coffee in town. We also carry a full line of groceries, as well as cigarettes, lotto, propane refills, giftware and many local NS products. And in the summer, take a short walk from the beach to grab a slushie, ice cream cone, or iced coffee from our ice cream bar. So much in one store, we are your one stop shop in Lockeport.
History
The store has been here for a long time. I’m not sure how far back it goes but I’m told it was here in the 1930s. My earliest information is that the original part of the store was once called Laing’s Store, It was owned by Ches Laing and then his son. If you are in the store late at night or early in the morning and all is quiet you will sometimes hear footsteps and change jingling. I’m told that Mr. Laing always had a pocketful of change. Perhaps it’s him checking in on us.
In the late 1980s, the store was bought by the Swim family. In 1991, then owner Peter Swim, incorporated the store and named it Town Market (1991) Ltd. At some point he bought the property next door and made 2 doorways that connected Town Market to Cosy Corner. This was the local diner/ice cream shop. Our milk, bread, and freezers are all located in this part of the building and if you look up you can see the original tin ceiling. A dream project someday is to strip the layers of paint and let the original tin shine. Peter later built on to the other side of the building and took down the whole exterior wall to make the section where the front counters, chips, pop and candy are now found. Peter ran the store for 30 years before selling to us in September of 2020.
WHO ARE WE?
We are Rod and Tammie Krick. Rod was born and raised in Ontario and Tammie was born and raised just outside of New Glasgow, NS. In July of 2020 we came from Ontario to view the store and area, after quarantining for 2 weeks at family property in Pictou County, NS. Peter showed us the store on the last day of July 2020. By the end of August we had listed and sold our house in Ontario and packed everything up and moved across country. I joked that it was 2 adults (my Mom and I), 2 kids, and 2 dogs in a minivan for 2 days, what a ride!
We got settled into our new house in Lockeport, close to the store, on September 10th and our belongings arrived on the 11th. Rod had to finish his work commitments in Ontario and joined us here in Lockeport the following weekend and we all quarantined again. We officially received the keys to the store on September 24, 2020. Peter was kind enough to stay on for 3 weeks to show us the ropes and help us on our way. We were eager, yet nervous about our new responsibilities. We wanted to make sure that we keep the history and traditions of the store but also wanted to add our own flair and personality to reflect us as the new owners. We always try to make sure that the history is preserved (like the old boat tag above the door, the store made sausages, the 71 year old Santa on the wall, etc) but add new features such as new technology in the form of computerized touch screen tills, new cooler and equipment, lots of local NS products, propane, etc. We are always happy to help you find what you are looking for and if we don’t currently stock it we will certainly look into carrying it if we can. That’s how we came to be your local source for Keto and Gluten Free items.
We certainly had our share of troubles when we took over such as adapting to new jobs and responsibilities, learning the business and how best to serve our community, helping our two girls settle into new schools and lives, failing equipment, and local residents and long time customers that were afraid we would change everything. We had a lot on our plates and we admit that we made mistakes but we learned, we adapted, and we keep doing so as needed. Rod and I were both taught from childhood to work hard and do our best. Every day we do our very best to serve our community and ensure that we carry the products that you want, at reasonable prices (often cheaper than the nearest big grocery store).
The why we did all this is another story and best told in person. Stop in and ask me and I’ll be happy to share. See you soon!
