(Posted
7:30 p.m., April 10)
Sarsfield landmark closes its doors for the last time
By Fred Sherwin
Orléans Online
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The
Home Hardware store in Sarsfield closed its
doors for good on Tuesday, leaving 17 employees
facing the unemployment live. Fred Sherwin/Photo
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In
today's day and age of big box stores and online shopping,
it's amazing that the Sarsfield Home Hardware store has
survived this long.
On
Tuesday, the local institution, which has served the community
for the past 20 years, closed ts doors for the last time.
Unlike
most other Home Hardware stores which are franchises,
the Sarsfield location was a corporate store and it was
the corporation which decided to close it, informing the
manager Frank Scultz and the 17 employees about the decision
on Monday.
The
only good news is that the employees will remain on the
payroll until June 12.
Despite
several years of poor sales, the company had been hoping
for things to improve while they were tryign to find a
potential buyer. The sales never materialized and neither
did a suitor, forcing the company to make the decision
it did.
Besides selling hardware supplies, the store also served
as an outlet for Agribrands Purina Canada animal feed
and it housed the local post pffice.
Those
people who remained loyal to the store, like local farmer
Bob Dessaint, will have to go elsewhere to buy their hardware
supplies and feed for their animals. The post office will
remain open unil May 15.
"It's
going to make a big hole in the community because we'll
have to go somewhere else," says Dessaint.
The
closure is just the latest in a series of blows the community
has suffered over the past 10 years. The Sarsfield Hotel,
which was a popular local watering hole and gathering
place closed in 2011, the Caisse Populaire Desjardins
closed shortly afterward, and the St-Hugues elementary
school closed in 2003.
Sarsfield
Community Association director Stephanie DeGuire says
many residents have gotten into the habit of shopping
in Orléans.
"It
seems people are deciding to head to the Home Depot and
the Lowes and the other big box stores as opposed to the
small town stores," says DeGuire. "Right now
all we have left is a little depaneur and the community
centre."

(This
story was made possible thanks to the generous support
of our local business partners.)
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