Magnetawan Home Hardware turns 50

MAGNETAWAN, Ont. — The Home Hardware Building Centre in this Parry Sound District community marked its 50th anniversary this month. A celebratory barbecue was held with cake, balloons and giveaways. The founder of the store, Jack Mowbray, had already owned a Home Hardware store in Stoney Creek, Ont., for several years when he decided to branch out into Magnetawan in 1969. Current owners Brenda Fraser and her husband Alan bought the store in 2002. Fraser’s father and uncle were among Mowbray’s early hires and purchased the business from him in 1987. “I think it’s an amazing thing for any business to be around for 50 years,” Fraser told the Almaguin News, “but I think it’s really amazing for a community to support a business in a small area like this in a way that would allow them to stay open for 50 years; it’s a pretty special place.”