St. Catharines Downtown Association

Before the mallification and corporatization of North American retail, there was the 1950s.

Downtown St. Catharines ruled.

Sidewalks were so packed on Saturdays, pedestrians could barely move. Traffic gridlock resulted in a switch to one-way streets.

There were renowned chain stores like Eaton's, Zellers, Kresge's and Woolworth's, but there was also a plethora of locally owned and operated shops selling shoes, men's suits, women's fashion, groceries, hardware goods and everything in between.

You wanted something, you came downtown.

A diminishing number of people can remember those glory years; even fewer can attest to being active players at the time.

Thus, the significance of Don Shaw's passing earlier this month.

No locally owned and operated shop shone brighter or attracted a wider mix of customers during downtown's heyday than the Potter and Shaw drugstore on St. Paul Street.

The affable, outgoing Shaw would later parlay the success of the downtown operation into other retail ventures. He was among the first set of shop owners in the Pen Centre, opened a photo store, started discount-style Crown Pharmacies and was part of a group of local investors that captivated St. Catharines in the 1970s with the development of a spectacular commercial/retail complex called Corbloc.

It's a record of accomplishments and initiatives that was there for all to see over a period of decades.

Please see full story by D. Herod in The St. Catharines Standard at: