HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1979-03-15, Page 19dave
sykes
1
e .41
My job is at stake.
It's nothing definite mind you, but the
nagging doubt concerning this scribe's
offering and subsequent security in the
journalism field are looming large.
You see this is the computer
revolution, something akin to the in-
Bustrial revolution that produced the
potato masher and the can opener. Or
was it the cotton gin. Doesn't matter.
The point is that our society is con-
tinually becoming more dependant
upon computors for a variety of uses.
They are used •for communications
systems, as sorters in the postal
system, and now a variety of com-
puterized robots are being used in
industrial applications.
Robots now work on assembly lines,
replacing human hands and brains. In
fact General Motors has developed a
robot called Zelda, that identifies parts
on a conveyor belt and disposes Of them
according to a programmed plan.
Newspapers are even worried that
Little Graeme Hunter of Clinton gets fitted for a pairof boots by Don
Corriveau, owner of Don's Shoe Place which recently held its grand opening
in the Suico-s-t IVIrdrhere. Mr.-Corriyeau has worked in shoe factories for
almost 17 years and says he is priding his business on fittings. He also tries
to carry as many Canadian lines of. shoes as he can. (Photo by Joanne
Buchanan)
Inside:
Kingsbridge Page 2A
Young
businessmen Page 3A
libme and
School Page 4A
Ice Nicks . . Page 7A
Letter to the
Editor Page 8A
Church
News Page 14A
Farm
News
Page 15A
After more than half a century in the shoe business,
Bill Ross, former owner of the Ross Shoe Shop on the
Square, has retired. Mr. Ross started out as a clerk in
George MacVicar's shoe store in 1928 at the age of 17
for $7 a week. He bought out the store in 1953 and
11111•11111111111111=1111111111111111111M moved to the present location of the business in 1962 in
order to expand.(Photo by Joanne Buchanan)
people will soon be able to call up news
any time on their television screen
eliminating the need.for the daily word.
And that's where my fears come in.
What if a robot was purchased to
replace my efforts on your favorite
weekly. To be honest I don't think the
machine could stand the frenetic pace.
First thing in the morning, our robot,
lets call him Spike, would have to sit at
his desk, drink at least two cups of
coffee while scanning current news bits
in the daily papers for about an hour.
Could his transistors take the pace for
say two years. I think not.
Spike would then have to go into the
darkroom, close the door and pretend
tobe developing film while simply
drinking Coffee and smoking a brand of
the favorite milds until lunch time.
Surely he would short circuit before the
lunch time card game.
And after lunch could this robot sit at
his typewriter and stare out the window
for two hours in a pose indicating he's
the
oderich
in deep thought and, formulating choice
words to clinch an article on corrupt
politic ians.
It's not an easy task to stare at
passing traffic for hours while giving
the editor the impression that great
inspiration is being recieved from an
unknown source.
If the robot was able to endure the
gruelling schedule so far could it drive
around town for another hour or so
while giving the impression of scan-
ning' the countryside for award win-
ning pictures.
1 would think not. The day has been
fairly demanding so far,. And as the
day draws on would this same robot
hav,e enough energy left to prop his feet
up on the desk,. drink a bottle of pop
and converse coherently with fellow
workers about the Weekend sporting
activities or the new girl in composing.
It would seem unlikely.
Then, when it seemed a day's work
haci already been accomplished would
the robot still have enough in the old
AC -DC to woefully explain to the editor
that hundreds of great pictures were
taken but somehow got gummed up in
the darkroom.
Robots are terrible liars.
With work at the office taken care of
how could a robot go home, barely
stagger in the doorway and moan to the
better half, while clutching his head,
that it had been just one of those days.
They are simply terrible actors.
And while the sympathetic partner
soothed the maladies how could the
robot possibly tell his mate that despite
the hectic day, yes he had to go to the
arena that night and eat popcorn, drink
pop and take the occasional picture.
Readers can judge by this descrip-
tion of a typical day in the pulsating
newsroom that a machine just couldn't
take the wear and tear.
Sometimes I wonder how I do it
myself.
1
S IGN A 1,17-1 STA
132 YEAR -11
THURSDAY, MARCH 15,1979
SECOND SECTION
Shoes help
businessmen
stepri ht out
BY JOANNE
BUCHANAN
"We're what is known
in the trade as a couple of
'old ghoe dogs'," says
Fred Renshaw, new
owner of Ross Shoe Shop'
in Goderich, when
speaking about himself
and---fomer- owner Bill
Ross. Between the two of
them, they have ac-
cumulated about 85 years
in the shoe business.
Shoes and the name
Ross have becpme almost
synonymous in Gotlerich
Over the years. But after
more than half a century
in the .shoe business, Bill
Ross has decided to
retire. He sold his store
on .the Square to -Mr.
Renshaw who took it over
on January 16 retaining
the name that is so
familiar to many people
in town.
Mr. Ross got his start in
the shoe business by
going to work as a clerk
in George MacVicar's
shoe store for $7 a week in
1928 at the age of 17. The
store was located on the
Square where Rick
Whetstone's jewelry
store is now located. To
the left of the shoe store
was a drug store run by
druggist E.R. Weigel and
to the right was MacLean
Brothers, a men's
clothing store, •
Mr. Ross learned the
shoe business from Mr.
MacVicar and he decided
he liked it. It offered
variety and challenge
and a chance to workmith
the public.; So he bought
out Mr: MacVicar in 1953
and went into the
business for himself. Now
to some people, 1953
might seem like a long
time ago, says Mr. Ross.
But to him it seems like
only yesterday.
In 1962, in order to
expand his business, Mr.
Ross moved to the
present store's location
between the People's
Store and Denomme
Flower Shop on the
Square.
When Mr. Ross started
out in the shoe business,
• there were still some of
those old fashioned high
buttoned black boots, in
• the store but they weren't
selling very well. He
always carried' a button
hook in his pocket as
many of the shoes and
boots were fastened with
buttons. There wasn't
nearly the 'variety of
styles, widths and sizes of
shoes on the market in
those days.
There really hasn't
been such a. radical
change in shoes over the
years though, says Mr.
Ross. When he first
started in the business,
men were more apt to be
wearing high boots and
women were wearing the
lower type shoes with lots
.of straps and buttons.
Toes went from square to
pointed and back to
square again with many
styles of shoes repeating
themselves.
One of the biggest
differences between
today's shoes and the
shoes Mr. Ross sold when
he was first starting out
in the business, is price:
Shoes that would sell for
about $7.95 then, sell for
about $75 or ten times as
much today, he says.
As the former owner of
a business which has
thrived for many years
on the Square, Mr. Ross
has , seen many other
businesses come and go.
The change of stores and
owners has been gradual
though and he has
adapted to this change.
There were two other
shoe stores on the Square
when he was working for
Mr. MacVicar. They
were the Sharman shoe
store located where the
Bank of Montreal is today
and the Walter Hern shoe
store located where the
Jenny Wren children's
shop was located until
recently.
In those days, working
hours were from 8 a.m. to
6 p.m. five days a week
and from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.
on Saturdays. Saturday
nights were the big nights
in Goderich when all the
people from the country
would make their weekly
trips to town, some still
by horse and buggy, Mr.
Ross recalls.
When Mr. Ross went
into business on his own,
•,there were two other shoe
stores operating in town.
One was operated by a
Mrs. Ahl and her husband
who was a shoe repair
man. Their store was
Turn to page 2A •
Fred Renshaw is the new owner of Ross Shoe Shop on the Square. He has
been in the'shoe business for about 35 years, working in all facets. He is busy
building up his stock now and looks forward to serving the people of
Goderich. He will continue to operate under the Ross name that has become
so. familiar to so many Goderich and area residents. (photo by Joanne
Buchanan)
I heard on the news the other day that
this week marks the 25th anniversary
of shopping malls. That's right folks
time does fly when you're having a
good time. Twenty five years ago
Northland Mall opened in Detroit. It
was small compared to the acres of
stores we now have under one roof but
it was the first of its kind.
The guy that came up with the idea of
shopping malls did a piece on the radio
thanking urban sprawl and the baby
boom for making shopping malls what
they are today. He explained that the
mall he developed was an experiment
to see if North Americans would ap-
preciate the convenience of -shopping
for everything and never going out-
doors.
He said his idea was to Ave people
something new and different after
World War Two. He felt certain
Canadians arid Atnericans would drool
in their wallets for a Chance to do a
little one Stop hopping.sHe elairn ed the
baby boom after the war combined
with the fact that million S of soldiers
were taking a wife and building, buying
or moving into a new home. Those
people should be catered too and if we
make a couple of bucks great.
Personally I'd like to slap the guy in
the head.
One stop shopping has been nothing
short of a pain in the butt. It's all bad
enough that the .average female
member of the species was brought up
on sales and bargains but there's no
need to make it easy. It would make it a
little easier for me to rest if I knew
people that get on shopping had to find
a parking space every time they
switched stores or had to bundle up
against winter's cold to go out and look
for a pair of shoes to go with that new
dress.
But the man that we owe it all to is
not through yet nor has he lost the
silver tongue that all good promoters
need. This guy has made a fattiti6 by
providing people with a pleasant spot to
part with their cash and now 25 years
later he's almost got us convinced we
should thank him.
He just -may have a point though.
Think about what life would have been
like without shopping malls.
You would have been in far worse
physical condition than you are now if
you never had to sprint across several
hundred yards of asphalt to get inside
the mall without getting your hair wet
in a rainstorm. And those legs are
probably in much better shape than
they would have been had you never
carried several tons of groceries or
packages from the mall to the car.
Your reflexes have been honed to a
keen edge by driving through mall
parking lots. I know the Idne markings
are there but who uses them. You jump
In:the ea?, look for ihe 'nearest exit and
follow Abe crow in a straight line. The
theory for driving inn shopping mall is
going stop me if you can.
Body shops would not have been able
to count on that annual cash flow
resulting from people getting their car
doors touched up. You know the little
scratches you, suffer when you park the
car away from everything and some
yoyo slides up alongside you and leaves
just enough room for you to put your
hand on the door handle. I think that's
how station wagons came to be. People
were sick of climbing in the side
window of their car and designers built
a car with a door in the rear.
Actually I'm surprised no shopping.
mall has picked up on the idea of the
25th birthday. 1 mean it isn't spring so
we can't have a spring sale, it's too late
for a winter sale, there haven't been
'any floods or fires and St. Patrick's
Day just can't be marketed. I'm sure
some Silver tongued dude somewhere
will pick up on it and soon we'll be
thanking him for having such a won-
derful sale.
jeff
seddon