Guild’s Bookstore was on the north side of the main street near Dunn St. Here you see Doug Hitchcox and a friend passing the store. Doug was probably earning a degree at U of T at that time. He became an actuary for an American insurance company after returning from overseas. Doug completed a “Tour” or more overseas as an RCAF Navigator. (note the scale in front of the store…we could use more of those today).
This was a pretty busy block in those days. (Below - Mr. Guild’s daughter Joan smiling at a customer). The vacant lot next to Guild’s was where we delivery boys waited every afternoon for the Toronto papers to arrive. I had a Toronto Star route with my new CCM bicycle that I had saved for. Don Bastead delivered the Telegram on a new Windsor bicycle, right from the Simpson catalogue. The same bicycles were our mode of travel on a Summer evening to reach the Farmerette Camp, Lindy's Lodge, a few miles out of town.
The morning paper, the Globe & Mail had a much smaller circulation and it was handled by Jr. Atkins, son of the local newspaper Editor. Unfortunately (George) Jr. lost his life in a flying training accident. I can still recall being lined up with the Oakville High School Cadets outside St, John’s United Church on Dunn Street where a memorial service was held.
Close to Guild's was the popular Broadbent’s Second Hand Store; a good place to get parts for your bicycle. Then there was the old Post Office, until they built a new one across the street. Mr. James was the postmaster. I think Len’s Drug Store expanded into that spot. Then there was the Pickwick ice cream parlour with a dance floor in the rear, then Fraser’s Hardware, one of two hardware stores in town. Then came Simpsons department store catalogue office, next to Jim Turner's Meat market. During the war when gas was rationed, the delivery trucks of Eatons and Simpsons were parked in Oakville instead of driving out daily from Toronto. The catalogue orders came out daily from Toronto by rail.
(Right) Here’s a bandsman entering Len’s Drug Store for a little refreshment after a parade. (The instrument, that the bandsman has trustingly left outside the store, looks like a baritone horn).
The Drug Store had to cancel banana splits during the war because of the shortage of bananas. An exception was made if you brought your own banana, and we did ! After working in Fred Turner’s Loblaw store on a Saturday, next to the Bank of Toronto, we would filch a banana from the produce department and head down to Len’s before it closed (Bill Russell may remember those days).
Bob Hughes
