The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

MIRACL Why run all over town when you can get everything here? meErsama@®| You‘ll find the perfect gifts. And, since there is a lot to choose FOOD DRIVE | from, we‘ve given you more time to find it all. We‘re now open from 9:30 a.m. â€" 9:30 p.m. Monday to Saturday, and 12 â€" 6 Sundays. When you do come, please remember our food drive dropâ€"off. Give a little and help support the needy. So put on some comfy shoes and come shopping. We have longer hours, millions of gifts and a wide variety of comfortable footwear. THE OAKVILLE BEAVER Eddy and Nelly De Vries have retired from Pinegrove Fish Chips. They have sold the small restaurant after 25 years in business. The ‘mom and pop‘ operation has become known for its family atmosphere and home cooked soup of the day. The stained glass sign was made by Eddy, and remains in the window. (Photo by Wilma Blokhuis) The Queensway at Highway 427 Pinegrove Fish Chips owners retire By WILMA BLOKHUIS Oakville Beaver Staff There was a time when an order of fish and chips cost 65 cents â€" 40 cents for the piece of fish, and 25 cents for the fries. The year was 1969, when Eddy and Nelly De Vries embarked on their 25â€"year career as coâ€"owners of the small fish and chip outlet in Pinegrove Plaza. By that time, the restaurant had already been in business for five years. About a month ago, they sold the business, which continues to operâ€" ate as Pinegrove Fish Chips under its own ownership. "We‘re the longest owners," said Eddy, 63, noting many of the reguâ€" lar customers began patronizing the restaurant as children coming in with their parents. "We got to know a lot of our cusâ€" tomers as friends," he continued. "People felt they could chat with us about anything." Adds Nelly, 60: "we loved the people, and we‘ll miss them. We would like to say ‘thank you‘ to the many people who patronized us, some of them for 25 years!" "The nicest part was watching our customers grow up," said Eddy. "The business has been very good to us. We developed a very good relationship with our customers. “Peoplé felt they could trust us," he continued. "We created a family atmusphere here." Most of them heard about Pinegrove Fish Chips by wordâ€" ofâ€"mouth, and nobody spread the word faster than the kids who would come in for free fries on Halloween. This 25â€"year tradition brought in about 250 to 300 kids annually. They also, over the quarter cenâ€" tury, maintained a consistency in their food. "We never changed a recipe," said Nelly. But that didn‘t account for any mistakes. "One day a guy came back comâ€" plaining about his milk shake," remembers Nelly with a hearty laugh. "He got malt vinegar mixed in with it instead of vanilla!" "Don‘t forget about the guy who thought his hamburger tasted a little funny," adds Eddy. "We forgot the hamburger patty!" "We‘ve forgotten the patty a few times," said Nelly. Their business was run on a simâ€" ple philosophy of consistency and personal service. "Our menu remained unchanged for 25 years." And, it included a lot more than just fish and chips. They sold hamburgers, hot dogs, soupâ€"ofâ€" theâ€"day, sandwiches, and some old Dutch favorites such as ‘eggs and beans on toast.‘ Many of these items are still available under the new manageâ€" ment, with the addition of muffins, bagels with cream cheese, and sausage on a bun. â€" Eddy and Nelly, married since 1956, hail from The Netherlands. Nelly came with her family in 1950, Eddy‘s family followed a year later. After their marriage, they settled in Brampton, only to move to Oakville in 1969. "The store has served us well," said Eddy, a carpenter by trade. "It was quite a change from working for somebody else. Working for ourselves was gratifying, and I think our family became closer over the years. It was a lifestyle we enjoyed." A ‘mom and pop‘ operation, Pinegrove employed at one time their son, Gary of Brampton, and daughter, Dorothy Pot, who with her husband Bill and three children, ventured off to Rossburn, Man., a year ago in response to that town‘s advertising campaign to lure people from Ontario to a life filled with new opportunity. "Dorothy has become famous out there," says Nelly, "She‘s a celebrity in Rossburn. She‘s been interviewed many times by the CBC." During the first 15 years, Eddy and Nelly worked six days a week. "Then, about 10 years ago, we decided to take life a little easier," said Eddy, admitting their love for hiking, camping, traveling and visitâ€" ing friends and family. "We wanted a bit more leisure time for ourselves," said Eddy. "The older you become, the more you start to value your free time." Some of their new found freeâ€" dom will be spent on their hobbies and interests. Nelly collects cookâ€" books and has more than 300 volâ€" umes. Eddy teaches stained glass window artistry. He is also a reflexâ€" ologist (as is daughter Dorothy), a short wave radio fan, computer buff, and Red Cross blood donor. December 7, 1994