Business Profile: Legg’s General Store

By Susan Regier

Legg's General Store has been a family-run operation in Birr, Ontario since 1946. Son, Jack, took over the operation in 1967 and his wife Pat came on board in 1970.

What are the various products/services that you offer?
We offer eclectic giftware, gourmet foods and seasonings, seasonal flags, flavoured teas, hot sauces, Leanin' Tree cards, kitchen gadgets, Coke/Harley/John Deere/NHL memorabilia, tin signs for every occasion, a year round Christmas room…and our newest addition, an upscale print gallery in our century old home. There is such a range of products that we could not possibly name everything. Our service is simply to make our customers happy – to go above and beyond all customer service. If we don't sell a product we’ll try to find out who does.

Give a brief history of the building and store operation.
It is hard to be brief with a 100 year old building. We’re the fourteenth owners. Purchased by Jack's parents in 1946, the store has been in the Legg family for 61 years. Jack Sr. purchased the business from Etheld Harris – prior to that it changed hands frequently. Its humble beginning was in the 1830's when a Mr. McConnell purchased the property from the Canada Company. The store is famous for being a stage stop for the well known Donnelly's. The hotel on the property was a resting stop for the stage and passengers. It grew from a Post Office, to a hardware store, to a lumber yard with mill. The mill was operated by a diesel engine, which produced flour and cut lumber. Although the mill is not open to the public it still stands on the site.

What made you decide to go into this type of business?
There were so many rooms that we felt we might as well use them. Trying giftware was a long shot but as we needed more space, we expanded and grew to what we are today.

Who is your target market and how do you reach them?
Our market is everyone who has driven by for years and finally stops. We’ve had visitors from all over the world who keep coming back. Seniors who look at the old building with nostalgia in their eyes or young people who’ve never seen hardwood floors in a store. Many of our guests are going or coming to the local hospitals for appointments. We reach our customers by word of mouth, advertisement in the Daytripper, and with radio ads. We have a large sign where we advertise upcoming events within our business and community.

What do you offer that’s different from your competitors?
We offer service with a smile, a local history lesson on our century old building that was once a stop for the Donnelly Stage Line ( if asked), a lift to your car if your hands are full, loan products to local groups and schools, a safe place in the middle of a blizzard, a public washroom that may be used by all, a beautiful garden setting to sit, relax, and eat the ice cream we serve, directions for travellers, a place to browse for an hour or a day, and peace and quiet if needed. Our store is a place to leisurely shop or a place to quickly pick up that last minute gift you forgot. We can even put your gift in a beautiful gift bag with tissue and ribbons at no extra cost.

What is the biggest obstacle you’ve had to overcome to get to where you are now?
The biggest obstacle is putting life back into our 100 plus year old building. It needs a lot of maintenance, love, and commitment. What do you enjoy most about your business? Our customers and staff. How do you handle a hectic day? We take it one minute at a time, making sure all customers are served with a smile as quickly and efficiently as possible. We let them know that their business is very important to us.

How much has your business grown since the beginning?
Our business has grown from 200 sq feet to 20,000 sq feet over the past 40 years. We have grown outside from one building to three, and inside from one room to eight rooms. Our newest addition is the first floor of the adjoining century old home. If you could go back to the beginning and change something, what would it be? Starting the gift shop sooner.

Where do you see your business in 3 years?
Every year is a new adventure. We may expand and go upstairs into the five bedrooms sitting idle or just concentrate on what we have now. But you can be assured that every year there is something different happening and every day there are always changes being made. We keep everything fresh and new.

Any additional comments?
We invite all to stop in and visit us – the old building is amazing to see with its original hardwood floors throughout, including slanted floors in some rooms. This is a fine example of using space and how to turn an historical building into a viable business, while keeping the antiques, including the marble fireplace, that were once used here.

Legg's General Store is located on Highway #4 in Birr, north of London. They are open from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. from March through October and in November and December, open from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. or when the lights go out. During January and February they are open weekends only depending on the weather. For more information, call 519. 666.0759.

Published in Networking Today, September 2007