The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Flin Flon and area prides itself on being different from the big city. We know our neighbours, neednÕt endure traffic jams, and enjoy a low crime rate. But all of that is only part of the equation. In at least one respect Ð shopping habits Ð we have become much more like the Winnipegs and Saskatoons of the world. FreedmanÕs Confectionery is closing its doors for good tomorrow because the store has become unprofitable in the modern retail era. This is a loss of great historical significance. FreedmanÕs dates back nearly 80 years, making it one of the oldest businesses in Northern Manitoba still operating. Generations of residents vividly recall heading to the iconic store to buy comic books, shoot pool, or read the chalkboard attached to the front of the building on which bombastic owner Jack Freedman would rant against City Hall. Following the loss of JohnnyÕs Confectionery, another landmark store, last year, and the closure of CreightonÕs Pennywise Foods the year before that, the demise of FreedmanÕs is another unwelcome sign of the times. In the age of big-box stores, places like FreedmanÕs have suffered. Residents can now simply hop in their cars Ð morning, day or evening Ð and within minutes have access to a big-city selection no one here thought possible just a few short years ago. Strictly speaking, youÕd have to call this progress. All retailers strive to please their customers and keep them coming back, and if the big-box stores werenÕt getting the job done, they wouldnÕt enjoy such a high level of success. Nothing against big -box stores Ð they are great places to shop Ð but thereÕs a price to be paid for this progress. Long-time, smaller businesses like FreedmanÕs are part of what makes a community special. TheyÕre where weÕve known the cashiers for as long as we can remember. TheyÕre where we parked our bikes as children before eagerly filling up paper bags with penny candy. TheyÕre where small talk can be heard at the counter rather than the unzipping of purses as hurried shoppers reach for their debit cards. Such businesses and the countless memories they spawn are part of what connects us a community. A part of Flin Flon will die tomorrow when that glass door at FreedmanÕs is shut one last time. Just as we did with JohnnyÕs and Pennywise, I guess weÕll just have to take the good with the bad. Local Angle runs Fridays.
