Surplus Direct took over 843 Main Street and a discount furniture store in 2007. Prior to that it had been Kern-Hill Furniture Co-Op from 1963 up till when they moved to Nairn in 2005.
In truth the building as a furniture store pretty much since 1945 and the end of World War II. However, in the years following the war Main Street was filled with businesses. Banks, jewelers, furniture stores and the like lined the streets in between all the hotels.
In 2023, more and more For Lease signs line the street. Or worse, there is nothing but an empty space lining Main Street. That one block just north of the underpass has hosted successful businesses for decades that brought people to the area. Surplus Direct, Lord Selkirk Furniture and Top Pro Roofing.
Dozens of people are out of work this week and owners of these businesses scramble to survive. The cause of the fire may take some time to find out. However, if it is an arson, it points to a problem that cannot be solved simply by re-building. There have been a lot of suspicious fires that have later been identified as arson. No business or resident can count themselves safe if this continues as it has. People have already died and millions have been lost to damage.
The commercials that ran on TV and radio for Kern-Hill Furniture Co-Op cemented 843 as the place to be for the list of furnishings that Nick Hill said we needed to check out before shopping elsewhere. And whatever feelings people had for Main Street, they were prepared to overlook to go 843 Main Street where Nick Hill's number 1 son left the sofa-making machine on.
Like Honest Ed's discount store in Toronto, people were ready to come in and get lost. Winnipeg people like a bargain or shopping for one. Surplus Direct owned by the McDonald family knew that he address alone made people think shopping discounts and they too found sound success in the same spot.
Lord Selkirk Furniture has already opened an alternative site and the owners have support from the Polish community. The owners Kathy and Andy Gadgamowicz announced they are on Selkirk Avenue which is extremely fast to be up and running considering the devastation wrought on their business. The owner of Top Pro Roofing is likely assessing how much of his fleet and equipment outside is salvageable The Bialowas family and employees were helpful to those affected by the fire in moving things away in the aftermath.
Even with insurance, it seems a difficult talk about rebuilding on this site, Harken back to fires in the middle of Osborne Village and it takes years to get insurance to agree to build and almost never over one storey. Will this soon to be demolished site remain a parking lot for ages? Will the businesses simply move on and not return?
The tragic aspect of this fire is how long it will last in terms of suffering. The demolition has to be soon because the wreckage poses a traffic hazard from a lost lane and sidewalk. A fire hazard is still a possibility and an apartment and housing nearby can't afford to be unnecessarily endangered because of a long debate about what to do with the pile. Lastly, a fence is possibly going to be needed to prevent the site from becoming a parking lot for a lengthy time or an encampment of people living on it.
The homeless situation has grown so difficult that any open area can be where tents and make-shift shelters will be. The Manitoba Metis Federation found this to be and had to fence off the area and parking lot. Several fires have resulted in total loss of some encampments and people have been hurt or have died as a result. Some adjacent buildings have burned as well. To say it is a crisis is an understatement. Housing has been too slow, too expensive and too few.
There are other businesses across the west side of Main Street still going. The Northern and the Yale hotels and a number of other shops are present although a few for lease signs are there too. Without a doubt though, a big gap across the street is going to hurt. And having a longtime empty spot could perpetuate further loss of business.
The west side has not been immune from fires either. Winnipeg has far too many fires. Accidental or otherwise, it is a reflection of age of the structures, occupancy of them and how quick they can spread. Throw in deliberate arson and we have a problem that has no easy fixes and poses a danger to any building business or residential.
Heartfelt support to the owners of these vital businesses. Let's hope they get back on their feet and that the location on Main Street doesn't become an unhappy reminder of past businesses that are gone forever.
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