TIGNISH – It was sort of two grand openings in one Thursday morning in Tignish.
There was the grand reopening of the Tignish Co-op’s hardware store as a Home Hardware Building Centre and the grand reopening from last winter’s destruction.
One side of the store’s roof gave way in late February, forcing the co-op to put up a temporary partition in the center of the store. One side reopened to the public three days later while the other side became a salvage area where the collapsed roof and damaged merchandise had to be removed.
A new roof was quickly installed and the entire store soon reopened for business.
There was no evidence of last winter’s destruction, during Thursday’s celebration, but speakers proudly recalled how the co-op, its employees and members and local contactors worked together to secure and subsequently repair the property.
Store manager Martin MacRae described how co-op manager Angus Handrahan took charge with a chainsaw to get the repair work underway.
“We are very grateful, that evening, especially, for our contractors,” MacRae said, adding that the staff also played a major role in the rebuilding.
“Working together brings success.”
And that seems to be the push behind the 1,070 dealer-owned stores in Canada of which the Tignish Co-op is now a member.
The co-op is currently building a new store to replace the one it owns in Alberton. It also has a store in O’Leary.
“Home Hardware is a big family and all the dealers are together and sticking together,” declared Ghislain Richard, area manager for New Brunswick-P.E.I.
“Everyone chipped in and worked diligently to make this project happen, not once but twice,” said Tignish Co-op President Emerson McMillan.
“This building, this operation, belongs to the people of Tignish, the people of West Prince,” said co-op manager Angus Handrahan.
He praised his staff for helping to make it happen.
Added co-op employee and Tignish Community Council chair Gerard LeClair: “I see our board and management grasping the future and moving our store forward in a great way.”
Staff members sawed through a board to officially open the Home Hardware Building Centre.
