One of the oldest remaining merchants in Cook Street Village icon is changing hands.
Oxford Foods, part of five decades of food retailing in the neighbourhood, has been sold to Adam and Daisy Orser, operators of The Root Cellar Village Green Grocer in Saanich.
Owner-operator Ed Louie, the third generation in his family to run a grocery business at the corner of Oxford and Cook streets, said the time was right to move into the next stage of life B次元官网网址� retirement.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 been stressful at times, but I was able to put my son and daughter through school and IB次元官网网址檓 happy to have owned the business. IB次元官网网址檓 starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel,B次元官网网址� he said.
The last day of business for Oxford Foods is Nov. 30, after which The Root Cellar officially takes over, Louie said. The plan is for a major renovation on the interior and exterior, expected to take approximately six months.
While other suitors were keen to secure the valuable corner property, only The Root Cellar was willing to not demolish the building, said Louie, who lives near the store and wasnB次元官网网址檛 keen on having a major construction site next door.
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B次元官网网址淗onouring the farmers and food makers in our community is a vital part of our business model, as is honouring the generations of grocers before us,B次元官网网址� said Daisy Orser in a release. She called the new location a B次元官网网址減erfect home for a Root Cellar.B次元官网网址�
With many new businesses spring up in the burgeoning Cook Street Village in the past 20 years or so, Oxford Foods has remained a constant in the neighbourhood.
B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e resilient,B次元官网网址� Louie said of the operation. B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e family owned and we do what we can [to serve the community].B次元官网网址�
LouieB次元官网网址檚 grandfather, Jew-Nam Louie, opened Fairfield Produce on the corner in 1951 and gradually expanded his offerings, ultimately building a new structure with apartments overhead. The business became Oxford Foods in the early 1970s, when EdB次元官网网址檚 father Tommy took over. While heB次元官网网址檚 been retired for some time, Tommy still spends time in the store keeping an eye on things and visiting with longtime customers.
Having worked in the store from a young age, Ed, now 59, is looking forward to having more time to visit his kids in Vancouver and relax in the Cook Street neighbourhood that has been his lifetime home.
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