TIGNISH, P.E.I. — There’s less space than before, but it’s pretty much business as usual for Eugene’s General Store and Drive Thru in Tignish.
The main store was destroyed by fire on Oct. 6, but the drive thru, located in a separate building, was back in business the following day and shortly after that, store operator Carter
Morrissey started tearing out walls in the drive thru building. On Nov. 8 he opened that space as a temporary Eugene’s General Store while maintaining the drive-thru window and finalizing plans for a new building.
Despite all the red tape he has to weave through, Morrissey said he anticipates construction will be getting underway this month.
“I want to give the store back to the community as fast as possible,” he said. “I’m not one to sleep until it’s done.
“Tignish needs their store back and I need a regular routine, plus I employ 20 girls here and one butcher. They all need their jobs.”
With the makeshift store operational and carrying, in his estimation, 90 per cent of the stock that he had in the old store, Morrissey said he is already back to full staff. With customers still learning how much stock he is carrying, including most meats, Morrissey said business is quickly returning to previous levels.
So why rebuild if the customers are coming anyway?
“That’s a question I’ve been asked a lot and I don‘t know how to answer it, but bottom line is, I’m building a new store.”
He admitted getting reopened and planning a new store has been a bigger education piece than learning the ropes of operating a store. He took over the operation of Eugene’s General Store in February 2018, taking over from Tommy and Joanne Perry who had operated the store for 32 years.
“This was not in my first two-year plan, that’s for sure,” Morrissey said.
Store clerk Brittany Doyle said customers are pleased to have the business operational again.
“A lot of them missed it.”
And she admitted she missed it, too.
“I was going pretty crazy at home.”
She said she had been making almost daily visits and helped out some in the drive thru while space for a temporary store was being prepared.
Seated at a table in the front corner of the store, Ralph Carr is enjoying his morning coffee.
“It’s great to have it back up and running,” he said.
He was a frequent customer, even when the previous owners were running it.
“It was always there. That was a big loss here when that went.”
Morrissey is adding 2,250 square feet to the 1,600 square-foot drive thru building. All of the retail area as well as the drive thru section will be in the new section while the existing building will be converted into storage space.
A new and permanent drive thru exit onto Church Street was being paved Thursday afternoon. The drive thru and the temporary store will continue to operate during the construction period.
