Last weekend, Quebec hardware chain Gagnon – La Grande Quincaillerie (Gagnon – The Great Hardware Store) held a big celebration to mark the company’s 50th anniversary. The event drew some 320 people, including the entire team from the chain’s five stores along with family members, who gathered at a ballroom in the Marché Bonsecours in Montreal.
The soirée was hosted by TV personality Guy Mongrain and surprise guest Rita Baga, a popular Quebec drag queen. The night included a video history of the company, and a tribute to Yves Gagnon, who had taken over a single store from his father in 1973 and built it into a thriving chain of home centres. The business is currently run by Yves’ daughter, Geneviève Gagnon.
(Shown here: Rita Baga, Yves Gagnon, and Guy Mongrain)
