The Breen Refrigeration Service store prior to the 1959 fire on Holland Street W. which damaged the building.

Well-trained, service-minded employees. A friendly atmosphere. Quality products at competitive prices. Those are part of the "Homecare" promise - but they have always been the goals at Spence Homecare, even when the business was primarily a lumber yard. Spence Lumber was founded in 1919 by James Spence, on the site of what is now MacDonald's Restaurant and South Simcoe Square. James was followed by his son, A.W., then grandson, Keith Noble. Now it's the 4th generation, great grandson Ron Noble, who runs the operation. Spence Lumber weathered the Roaring Twenties, the Dirty Thirties, the war years, the post-war baby boom, the changes of the '60s and '70s, at its old site. But in the '80s, the increasing trend towards home renovation, and "do-it-yourself" repairs led to a decision to move, and expand. The old retail space, notes Ron, covered only 800 to 1,000 square feet. "We were kind of land-locked, and there was no real growth potential." In 1900, the store moved to its current site at 90 Dissette,where it has 6,000 square feet of retail space, and over four acres of lumber yard - and joined 160 other stores in Ontario under the "Homecare" banner. "It was always a traditional lumber yard, whereas now I would consider it...a building centre," Ron says, explaining the change. The Centre offers "a complete range of everything you need for building, renovating, decorating." The transition from lumber yard to building supply centre has been a smooth one, he says, helped in part by the affiliation with Homecare, "which gives us volume buying power - which, in turn, can be turned over to the consumer," as a competitive prices. But the best part has been the consumer response. "When we moved to this location, the support we've had from our customers and friends was just about the nicest thing." To say thank-you to those customers, Spence Homecare celebrated its 75th anniversary, October 14th to 16th, with a special sales, lucky draws and a charity barbecue.

"Owners of businesses destroyed in last Wednesday's fire are making arrangements to carry on business in temporary quarters and are planning a building program. According to present plans, a fine new business block will rise this year on the site of the stores destroyed in last Wednesday's conflagration." ...

Contains articles and clippings related to the buildings and architecture of Bradford West Gwillimbury, from F-L

Contains articles and clippings related to the buildings and architecture of Bradford West Gwillimbury, from L-Z

Contains news clippings and articles on various businesses of Bradford West Gwillimbury

An account bill made out to the Bradford Lawn Bowling Club by the Bradford and West Gwillimbury Agricultural Society, dated October 31st, 1911.

Article describing the business and life of Mr. C. Goode, grain merchant and owner of the Goode Elevators. Article from 1906.

Article from the May 31, 1906 - special edition of the Bradford Witness and South Simcoe News featuring local businesses and members of the community. This article provides a history of the grain elevator business previously on the site of the current GO Train Station on Bridge Street. Farmers around town would bring in their grain to the elevators by wagon and sleighs in order to have their grains bought. The highest bidder would then direct the farmers to their specific grain mills to be processed. The building was demolished by the end of the Second World War.