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The Citizen, 1988-03-16, Page 5THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16, 1988. PAGE 5. The changing face of Brussels Businesses come and go on Brussels' busy main street but growth trend continues for village BY TOBY RAINEY Brussels’ main street has under­ gone a number of dramatic chang­ es in the past few weeks and months, and is still in a state of flux as spring approaches and the village looks forward to the increased activity that good driv­ ing weather always brings. pletely renovated the store when they expanded their floorspace into the northern half of the shop in 1982. McCutcheon Grocery, owned and operated by Janet and Dave McCutcheon since 1968, closed its doors March 5, leaving a gaping vacancy on Brussels’ main street. Some of the current changes to the business core are upbeat, but others bring a deep sense of sorrow to the observer, despite the proven truth of the old adage that the old order changeth, giving place to new. The most disturbing of these changes is the closure March 5 of McCutcheon Grocery, at the north­ ern end of the business block. Forced into position of sharply reduced revenue by changing economicclimate and shopping patterns of its clientele and of the entire area, Dave and Janet McCutcheon decided that the time hadcome togive up the 70-hour work weeks imposed by the family-run grocery to look for an easier life in other directions. Mr. McCutcheon started work March7atK.A. HammondandCo. Ltd. Office Equipment in Moore­ field, while his wife and partner stays to finish closing out the store while the building, owned by Dave’s parents, is put up for sale. Mrs. McCutcheon says she will likely look for work elsewhere in the future, but for now plans to take a few weeks of well-earned rest. McCutcheon Grocery has been a mainstay of Brussels for more than 30 years, and even before that when it was owned and operated by Kay and Ned Rutledge, Dave McCutcheon’s aunt and uncle. Dave’s parents, John A. and Margaret McCutcheon, who still live in the apartment above the store, took over the business in the late 1950’s, with both Dave and Janet cutting short their-banking Although there is sadness at seeing the end come to much of one’s life’s work, the younger McCutcheons are philosophical aboutthe change. “It’s going to be careers in 1968 to go to work for his parents. Dave and Janet purchased the grocery business from the senior McCutcheon’s in 1978and com­ so nice to have our weekends free again, ’’ Janet said. ‘ ‘I can scarcely remember the last time we had a Saturday off.’’ The other current closure on Turnberry Street involves the Barbara M. Brown Yarns and Crafts shop, which woundup its stock-reduction sale and closed its doors on Saturday, March 12, after six years in business. And al­ though it will be sorely missed by many, the closure of the boutique will be less traumatic than the closure of McCutcheon Grocery, since Mrs. Brow’n still intends to provide service for her many customers from her own home, where she will also continue to do custom knitting and carry on her popularknittingclasses, aftera summer of recreation and travel. In addition, Mrs. Brown’s shop will be occupied again by the middle of April, when George Langlois, after whom “George of Brussels’’ is named, will move his hair styling salon in from further up the street. “I’m looking forward to the move,’’ Mr. Langlois says. “The new location will enable us to make better use of our space, and it will be much more convenient for both our clients and our staff in a number of ways.’’ George of Brussels, which also operates salons in both Wingham and Seaforth, celebrates 25 years in business in Brussels later this year, but his move will leave vacant the much larger premises next to the Brussels Hotel. The Brussels Hotel itself repre­ sents one of the most invigorating changes to the village landscape in recent months, with its fine dining and beverage roomfacilities at­ tracting more and more people to the community. Since it was opened last November by partners June Warwick and Jerry White, business has been booming, espe­ cially on evenings and weekends, and the facility has provided much top-notch live entertainment for patrons who formerly had to leave town to find anything to compare. In February the hotel hosted a standing-room-only crowd to hear Terry Sumsion, while on March 17 the Good Brothers will make a one-night stand before a capacity audience. “Just for You ’’, a bright new gift and flower shop opened by Rene Richmond last October, also has a devoted clientele and is serving a definite need in the Brussels economy. One of the handsomest changes to the main street is the facelift which the Golden Lantern under­ went last summer with a new facade, off-street main entrance and new windows setting a prece­ dent which others could well imitate. The popular restaurant’s inter­ ior was spruced up in the facelift as well, and continues to feed a capacity crowd at any lunch hour during the week, as well as wining and dining more leisurely clients on weekends and evenings. Oper­ ated for the past three and one half years by the mother-daughter team of Joan Wissler and Jane Draper, the thriving business took on new life last June when the family purchased the former hard­ ware store, and were joined in its operation by Joan’s son John Harrison and his wife Julie, who moved from Thunder Bay to take up a partnership. Brussels Auto Sales, in the former Carl’s Auto Body premises at the south end of the village, also adds a robust new presence to the community. Owned and operated by Bruce and Doris McCall, the thriving used-car dealership buys and sells good, late-model cars and trucks, as well as running a full-scale body and paint shop and a smaller-scale auto repair busi­ ness in the back shop. Selling is deeply ingrained in Mr. McCall’s blood after his long and spectacular rise in the live­ stock sales business, where he and With “selling in his blood,” Bruce McCall couldn’t stand the inactivity once he sold Brussels Stockyards last year, and opened Brussels Auto Sales last November. Doris McCall is the company bookkeeper and Girl Friday. Barbara M. Brown, who has run a yams and crafts shop on Turn berry Street for the past six years, closed on Saturday. George of Brussels Hairstyling Salon will occupy the premises by mid-April. his son, Ross, built up Brussels Stockyards from its modest begin­ nings into the third largest sales yard in Ontario, before selling it to newcomer Klaus Henschel last Spring. “Bruce just can’t help selling - he goes to car auctions all over the area, and just loves it,’’ said Mrs. McCall, the business’s bookkeep­ er, as Mr. McCall went out to kick the tires on this writer ’ s car to see if he could work out a deal for a better model. Other changes are imminent in Brussels’ commercial area as well, athough several of them are not clear at the time of writing. Gerry Wheeler of J.R.’sGas Bar and Shake Shoppe admits that changes are planned for his operation, but is keeping the details quiet for the moment. Only revealing that * ‘ renovations will be starting the week of March 21,’’ when the restaurant and fast-food facilities temporarily will be clos­ ed, Mr. Wheeler, one of Brussels’ strongest boosters and most de­ voted volunteers, would only hint that the changes will be good for not only J.R.’s, but for the village as well. The future of last summer’s Cornerstone Flea Market is still in doubt, as owner-operators Len and Lisa Sherritt have both it and their Turnberry Street home up for sale. ButMrs. Sherrittsaidthatifthe properties have not moved by late Spring, the flea market, a popular local tourist attraction, would likely open for its second summer season as all its facilities are still in place and enquiries have been coming in again about summer space rentals. Finally, both the site of the former Olympia Restaurant, which was destroyed by fire a number of years ago, and the former Tom Garniss shop have been sold to out-of-town purchashers, but at press time The Citizen had been unable to contact either buyer to ask about their plans. However, Brussels assistant clerk-treasurer Donna White said that the Olympia site had been sold with the provision that a building be erected there within 18 months of its December, 1987, sale so it is expected that the summer will bring still more activity to one of the busiest village main streets in Huron County.