HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News-Record, 1975-07-24, Page 17° Ida McCiinchey's General Store in
arna hasn`t changed that .ouch
sincethe turn of the century when
lseople would bring in butter to
ex hange for their groceries. A little
tell stilt tidkles when you open the
font door; the !aid hardwood floors
still echo your footsteps as you cross
the room.; the potbelly coal stove
still graces the far corner; and it`s
still as -hot inside as it is outside
because there is no air conditioner.
Time has virtually stood still at
McClinchey's to capture a past era
but .Mrs. McClinchey admits that
whenshe bought the store 20 years
ago preservingits quaintness was
not, Jhe main reason behind making
no changes.
"Business was down and every
cent I• made had to go back on the
shelves," she said.. "1 didn't have the
money to make changes even 0 1 had
wanted to."
Since then some minor changes
have been made to the century old
building that was built by Jim and
George Beatty.
•
"The, long counter had to be
Shortened to facilitate a meat
freezer and the old soda fountain
was altered. into a lunch counter,"
Mrs. McClinchey A said, but the old
country store atmosphere has
rrriain.ed.
Today, that old country at-
mosphere that she has managed to
retain attracts passing tourists to
come in and browse. But, just as
many people wouldn't dream of
passing /through Varna without
stepping at McClinchey's, many
locayresidents find their day hasn't
bun until they've dropped into the_
.general store for some coffee and
conversation.
"I get a group of young farmers
who Other in here for coffee every
morningtbefore they go out to the
fields," Mrs. McClinchey said.
"During the winter, they meet
twice; once in the morning,and once
in the afternoon."
And when they come together, just
about everything under the sun
becomes fair game for discussion
she claims. ..
Up r -unci l two years ago people
swarmed into McClinchey's for
homebaked breast.
"t used to have one woman from
Detroit who would come to buy .2O
loaves of 'my carrot bread- for .her
bridge parties, Mrs. McClinchey
said. • .
•"When I took over the . store in
November of 1955, country stores
weren't what they used to be. 1 was
afraid of running 0 and thought of
homebaking as a •means of bringing
people ins"
The 63 -year-old said she finally
gave up baking beccause she was
getting older and because it was
beginning to get difficult to make
money on the venture.
"With the rise in sugar prices, 1
had to start charging _outrageous
prices for my homebaked goods. 1
decided it was wiser to give up."
She still bakes for her lunch
booms in the summer when tourists
from the Bayfield area still come in
for some of her mouth watering
pastry.
Another practice she has since
giving up is bagging: ,sugar and
oatmeal. "I used to have' sugar
barrels that I'd fill with S0 and 100
pound bags of sugar. t would then
bag the sugar in smaller quantities
to sell, but it all took up so much
Wile that 1 decided- against con-. -
tinuing."
Mrs. McClinchey was born in
Stanley Township near Blake and
Moved- tom after her marriage.
Her brother -in -taw ran the general
store for nine years before he ibst
interestand passed it onto ' - Mrs.
McClinchey. Prior to becoming
proprietress of the business, she had
cooked for The tittle inn in Bayfield
that was managed by Mrs. Art
Elliott.
Mrs. McClinchey has never ad-
vertised for business an, finds
people hear of her through past
customers and through aricies
written on shunpiking (off the main
road) tours. °
She realizes that -people today
detour around the country stores
and travel to_ the larger tows stores
for much orf t teir merchandise, but
"many people from the city get a
bang 'out of this. store," she said.
"People sometimes find things in
here that they've been looking for
everywhere but haven't been able to
find." '
Mrs. McClinchey said that city
folk were also amazed at how she
called all of her customers by name,
but as she sees it, that's the fun part
of operating a country general store.
"I'm not tired of my job because 1
come across so many kinds of people
`who stop in," she said.
,When she decides to retire, Mrs.
McClinchey doesn't know what will
happen to her general store but is
sure someone will step forward to
preserve that certain something that
can only be found in the old country
store.
' .Ar
Meanwhile, her store continues to
stay in the limelight as a sketch of
the shop by Mr. James Marian of
Goderich will soon adorn the front of
Hasti Notes.
McClinchey's may not be all that*
well known, but it is frequented by
the people who appreciate the at-
mosphere of the country store as
well as by the economically -minded.
After all,, when was the last time you ---
enjoyed a 20 cent cup of coffee?
kb McClinchey's cheeseboa rd is just one of- the tokens that her own except for part time help on. Friday= afternoon. When
have remained as a reminder of life in Varna at the turn of -the . she also baked homernade bread, she'd be•hard at work in the
-entury. Mrs. Mc ihchey runs the cotory general store on knelling at the crack of dawn.
.111 Iat who lives above hergetterat'store. will celebrate 20 years as the
S lobo" trrnpr etrrssof Wittlincheyr's in. November.
r1t�,
Dangly Taylor (left)and dad, Worle taytor if Eft 1 Vstop
art ,for an afternoon rest break with tda 1VIeC1inche . the setal+ r
Mr. Taylor has hr'* n lecquenchisi Meelliithay's for t coo 0C
Vearsvo , "E conte n for the coffee 'and to enjoy the' 0t1104141Y
ni the proprietress," explained.