An interesting advertisement from December 1949. This one shows the Ottawa Street Tepperman’s store, and also has a nice picture of Nate Tepperman. This is a long time Windsor Business, and it’s good too see them still around. A list of the oldest businesses in town that are still around would be interesting….
The oldest is Windsor Truck and Storage, founded in 1880.
Tepperman’s dates back to the 1920’s (I believe)
Any others you can think of? Leave your comments below…
Hi Neighbor Floor Covering @ Wyandotte & McDougall opened in 1939, according to their website.
Veteran Plumbing that used to be across the street from Hi Neighbor was around for a long time also. Not sure why they closed shop or what year it was though.
Don’t forget about Hiram Walker & Sons- 1857….
Rich .. Veterans Plumbing is still open I’m pretty sure it’s on Dougall kind of hard to find but they are more a specialty plumbing store doing a lot of new construction supplying. I was there a while ago and everybody was dressed alike in uniforms and they were on the snooty side ???
Moir Crane 1890.
/\ Family owned might I add.
Veteran’s Plumbing is on Dougall beside the Family First funeral home. They aren’t quite like they were downtown though. Hard to just go in and buy something and quite expensive. But still there!
Veteran has indeed evolved into a ’boutique’ type store, and right so – the big box stores have cornered the low end market. Why bother? But more importantly you can still walk to the back counter and buy that faucet valve no one else has. And that’s what you could always count on them for.
As to this list, which I believe we started on the Cunningham Steel post previously, I would add IXL Cleaners, founded in 1926, on Tecumseh E @ Moy. Same owners since 1969.
Ukrainian Restaurant (also covered here in the past) in 1931 and on its second owner in all those years.
Ouellette Pianos ca. 1940 was for a time the oldest music store in Windsor, but I see it is going out of business. You just don’t see pianos or organs in living rooms with the same frequency. Love’s Piano still seems to be kicking. Rennie Music has been around a long while too but not quite sure how long.
You gotta give some respect to businesses that have made it through a couple world wars, the great depression, countless recessions, and other hardships.
The Janisse family of the current Windor Chapel Funeral Home has been servicing this community for over 100 years.
According to their website, Freeds has been around for 83 years, so since 1930. Have they been in the same location the whole time?
I don’t know if we can count Hiram Walker as it hasn’t been locally owned in ages. I think it’s currently owned by Pernod Ricard.
I’d say the Essex Terminal Railway Company (incorporated in 1902) would be a good example though.
This totally made my day- thank you for sharing it! I’d love to know where you found this ad, and it would be great to get a copy of it (or the original!) for our archives.
@Uzzy: Freeds has been around for almost as long as Tepperman’s, although the business was first named “Sam’s” after Gerald Freed’s father, Sam Freed (the founder). While they’ve been on Ottawa Street since they beginning, they haven’t been in the same location the entire time- they were originally further west (closer to Pierre).
Ah Yes …Teppermans…we bought our first sectional chesterdield and coffee table there in 1945. My son still has the coffee table and it’s still in perfect condition.
My friend’s grandfather worked at Moir Cartage back in 1900s. Janisse’s Funeral Home when it was on Sandwich street ..we lived there for 16 yrs. Is Ouelette Piano;s formerly Gtinnel’s? I bought a piano there in 1943 when I was 17 after we started working at Canadian bridge and making good money. So I’ve been around for a long time too!
/\ Yes it was Moir Cartage originally! And from what I’ve read, Shedden Corporation was a partner or something…
But yes, continuously family owned since 1890.
My Great great grandfather started it.
great post Andrew….
Yes great post! Every time I go down Ottawa Street, I see what used to be Tepperman’s. Andrew, perhaps you should have included a streetview shot for the younger followers of this blog to show what the building looks like today?
I also remember ‘Sam’s’ where they often offered special deals on suits. And don’t forget Gray’s which also was a popular place to shop.
So was that the Canada Salvage building?
Forgive me not Canada Salvage, the Industrial resource centre… I believe it also used to be a Union building or something?
Was Brotherhood across from Freeds or Sam’s as it was known owned by the Freed family? And does anyone remember Union Men’s Shop on Pitt ?
Shawn, yes I believe the former Freed’s was what is now the Industial Resource Centre. And as I recall, Union Men’s Shop was quite a place to shop. Stock was from floor to ceiling and could be accessed with a stick.
I also bought some furniture for my first home in 1954 from Teppermans. My dad worked at Hiram Walker. I went to St. Mary’s with the children of many of these original owners of businesses in Windsor of 60 years ago.
Good post John about Veteran Plumbing.
Too bad the Tepperman’s building on Ottawa has been transformed to such an ugly 21st century stucco building. At least it is still occupied.
One of the first businessmen on Ottawa Street was Harry Gray who opened Gray’s Department Store around 1925, followed shortly by Sam Freed and Nate Tepperman. In 1962 two sons faced off in the federal election: Herb Gray for the Liberals and Bill Tepperman for the NDP. Gray won and a long political career that included being deputy prime minister of Canada was launched.
My good friend John Earl Murphy carried on the family business J.E. Murphy Heating and Air Conditioning to about its 85th year! Started by his Grandpa in 1921 and taken over by Volmer I think it was 2006 – Eighty five years in one family! Not bad eh? When I worked there, a customer boasted he had Murphy’s fixing his furnace for 75 years! Moirs are good friends of the Murphy family too! They’ve been around forever!
Ha! I should say Murphy’s “maintained” the guy’s heating system for 75 years. I made it sound like it was messed up for 75 years! I used to be manager there and the customers were loyal as anything – as they should be – it was a great company. John Earl’s late dad Jim Murphy was a great guy too! It’s a shame that small business – family business – face so many challenges. Almost a thing of the past in our city. My dad Michael Nosanchuk owned/operated Prince Road Market from 1948 to 1971. Corner of Prince and Montcalm.
I refer to the blog from rws. Just a bit of of history concerning Bill Tempperman. About 1957 he was the campaign manager for the late Bert Weeks who at that time was running as an NDP candidate in the federal general election. Although I was too young to vote at that time, it gave me great pleasure to assist them in any way I could. Unfortunately Bert was not elected.
If Noah reads this I would be interested to know what relation he is to Bill
Paul, click on Noah’s name and it will take you to the Tepperman site . Noah is Bill and Rochelle’s youngest son.
I would love to have been around when Ottawa Street was so vibrant.
Mr. Blackmore, I don’t believe Bert could have run for the NDP in 1957, since it hadn’t been formed at that point. It might have been the “New Party”, which was a predecessor of sorts.
Anyway, bless that man for what he did along the waterfront.
Yes, Brotherhood was across from Freeds. It’s now a Medical Clinic. My father, Jim McKenzie, owned a grocery store on Ottawa Street for many years (Superior Market… then EMA Foods… and then named McKenzie Food Market) up until the early 90’s. I would always go to Brotherhood with him, as well as get my hair cut at Alfredo’s next door. I also miss the cafeteria that they used to have at Woolworth’s. I remember when Woolworth’s closed up, one of the cafeteria ladies (Meryle) purchased all the restaurant equipment, and opened up a little place across the street, on the corner of Ottawa and Moy. She has sold it since, but I believe an Asian couple purchased it and still run it.
To Paul Blackmore,
I lived next door to you at 1583 Norman Road. I stumbled across this website and saw your name. How can we get in touch?
Regards,
Paul