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The rationing story. by Elaine Fiahany, appeared In a tecenl edition ot the Owen Sound Sun Times ALLENFORD ‘ when Harvey Plant closes the doors oi his general store here at the end oi the month ll will be the and ol a tradition thal stretches back met a century in lhts village Plant, who bought his store here In t9¢5 alter he was discharged item the Royal Canadian Air Force, Is the last oi the many people who have own so the building, construcled as a general store somelima in the 1560's and 70's. He's put the store up tor sale because he and hls wile Dorothy are ready to retire Their daughter. Audrey. works at the store but Isn't Interested In tak~ Inc the business over. So let there's no one ready to pur- chase the building to keep up general Siore In a small village seldom meets the quota But general stores have some'htng that larger businesses can't compete with. Said Plant â€"- sloreowners know the ltrst names oi many oi the perran they do business with, artle 37 years in oustnoss Plant has served Children and grant)» children pl some at his store's iirst customers. The inside oi the store has changed little since the,I Plants boughl Ii some or the sheivtng that goes around the walls was taken down, and a counter that once tart the length oi the room was shonened A Coleman space heater was added several years aiter the purchase when Plant discovered the cost ol putting a turnace in Ihe lale tsih Csniury bulldlng was prohibitive. 'Il hasn't changed much, we In, to keep It pretty much the the tradition. The closing at the Plants‘ store signals more than a change in Alleniord -- it's an in- dicatlon or a changing way oi lile In many rural communities. At one time the Piants' store Competed with lwo other general stores hers, and a total 0t eight stretching across Highway 21 trom Owen Sound to Southampton. With the closure ol the store in Alleniord there Wlii be none is", “i don't know why they all disappeared” said Plant, who thlrtks the general store, and its counterpart. lhe city corner store. are dying out throughout the country. "Datlnllely they'll o". B When Plant tirsi came to Allentotd there was a small broom factory and a grist mill as well as a law other stores. When he closes there wlit be only a Same" he said But the products sold over the counter have changed a great deal since 1945. "Stu" was hard to get then because everything was rationA ed", remembers Plant at his Ilrat iew years In business alter the war. "When we bought it there wasn'i that much slock Irt here". Once the shortages of the post-war years ended, lhe Plants expanded their store to Include more baked goods. dry goods and hardwares. same ol‘ these things were dropped as customers started heading to Owen Sound to shop at larger stores that could alter specials. Fresh produce that the store sells new In limited amounts, wasn‘t popular during the Plants' tlrst years or ouslness because so many rural people kept their own gardens. There‘s one other thing that hasn't changed since the Plants 3; l l1 hardware store Ieli. lee so many other small towns and villages. a once seli~sulllcleni community has become more or a bedroom town tor people who work In a larger city “There used to De grain elevators at the train station". said Plant, describing the once busy village. "Now there Isn't even a train station", While people used to depend on their vlllago‘s general store tor rill their needs, ihey now go Into the city for shoppan trips. or pick up odds and ends during their lunch hours or alter work. But business Is still good lor the Plants. They still get molorists passing through on their way to Sauble Beach or Chesley Lake and village residents stlll drop In to pick up everything from rubber boots. to trash produce. straw hats, ap- pliances. sewing ponds. Last of the general stores will close this Ilrst bought the store, They still open at 5 am. and close at 5:30, hours orlglnally set up to ac comodate people putting In to hours a day during the war years. "Don't ask me why we do It." laughed Plant. Originally from Huron Township, Plant moved to Allen lord when he bought the store. Belore the war he worked In the city In Jobs where he was inside all day, "Here. nobody could build a house so I couldn't see any green growing". he sold. gestur- ing out his store‘s wide hay win- dow that looks across the highway to the trees growing near the river, He plans to take advantage at his rural location after he retlree. Fishing, some travelling, and work on his extensive stamp collection are all part oi his plans. clothing and the regular tinned goods and soil drinks. Plant said some or the rttiaga's atueriy residentsy what are without cars or any means olt transpdnatlon, do‘thelr weeklyl shopping at the store. “It's more leisurely," he said. Althought they have what meaty people would consider a wide range at goods â€" the Inventory once showed 3,200 Items 7 Plant cautions that they don‘t really run a general store. General stores, he said, have "a little bit oi everything“. The Plants ap» patently don‘t have a wide enough product range to illl that strict deilnillon. j I General stores have also lallen prey to larger, chain» owned convenience stores, which large companies prefer to supply. Plant sald some com- panies now have a policy oi only supplying to stores that pur-r chase large quantities. and sip The Plants will shut the doors on 37 years at business August 31, and will hold a special oolrio- outwit-business sale on September 4, Plant Isn't optimistic that i anyone will buy the store Im- mediately to start a business. "There's too much money In- volved", he said. "There‘ll have to be a vest change nature you see individuals It] the business t world". But given the rising price at gas. and the decision by some younger people to move Into rural areas, Plant thinks. and hopes. that somewhere down i the line general stores could be i reluvenated. I I "With the right atmosphere. they'll be dealt”. l‘. TROPHY WINNERS â€" Roma Taylor's rink w‘pn the Hindman Memorial Trophy ill-the wnmmgs section of the Grey» Granite 9111b. Mom: