Canadian Tire's 90th Birthday this year....Fort William and Port Arthur stores...

Before the year is out we felt it fitting to recognize Canada's own big box establishment that's been around for an unbelievable 90 years, and still going stronger than ever.  I think there isn't a day goes by that at least one member of our family has been into one of the stores here for one thing or another.  The well known logo below is an older one and is a mechanics patch from my own collection.  Be sure to click on all the pictures below for enlargements.

The invoice here reads 126 N. May St. in Fort William Ontario and dated 1949  ...that's 63 years ago.  The photo on the right is that very address taken a couple of years ago.

This invoice is dated 1948 and shows the address as 119 S. May St. in Fort William, Ontario ....that's 64 years ago today.  The photo on the right is that very address and was also taken a couple of years ago.  The Canadian Tire Stores were at many different locations throughout our cities some of which is shown below.
Canadian Tire shown in 1957/58/59/60 and '62 phone books are shown at 235-237 Simpson Street, and 215 Van Norman Street in Port Arthur with a service department at 106 N. Cumberland Street.  In 1961 the Van Norman Street address is dropped and the Port Arthur store was all in one location at the 106 N. Cumberland Street address.

This was the former location at 106 N. Cumberland Street, now Villa Square



The address to the left was the 215 Van Norman Street Canadian Tire Store.  The Google earth photo to the right is where the Canadian Tire Store was once located behind County Fair Plaza on Dawson Road....then moving to the Thunder Centre.

In about 1963, the Canadian Tire store was located here where the present day Sylvan Learning Centre is.  This location was also a Safeway store before it became a Canadian Tire.

This photo shows the present day Canadian Tire Store on the left and another former CTC store on the right which is now The Athletic Club.....I believe Canadian Tire still owns a portion of the grassy area of the property closer to Arthur Street where summer cruise nights are held.....for possibly a gas bar at a later time.

Here is a ground level shot of the present day store on West Arthur Street and the photo below is the only other Canadian Tire Store presently in The Thunder Centre near the Intercity Shopping area.



1948-49 Catalog Cover

1966-67 Catalog Cover



   To the left is the cover and below are pages from the 1968 Canadian Tire Catalog showing all the items we purchased back in 1968.....reading these and wishing some of these prices were still around today such as Mag Wheels for $43.96 each or Chrome Reverse Wheels for a measly $23.95 each and probably made either in Canada or the USA.  Yes....and also custom shifters for $21.25 and for those who remember what there were for is a complete set of snap-on whitewalls for only $5.69......and a set of custom fender skirts for $8.20.

....We can only dream now   :-)

 Click on each of these TWICE to enlarge them to full screen!

A Moto Master Tire and Tube Patch Kit Box

How that 1948-49 Delivery Truck would have looked.

Here is a Canadian Tire Store photo right out of the 1950's taken on the corner of Yonge and Church Street in Toronto....Snow Shovels for $1.65

The last photo here is a first edition Canadian Tire 10 cent paper money piece.

We have to thank our own Canadian Tire stores locally here for all the great years we have had them with us and for the countless well priced parts and services that we received through the years......From their meagre beginnings to the present day mega store they continue to bring us what we need......especially for us Gear-Heads....
Many thanks to Al Pomanti for the invoice copies in this post.