Aerial View Wheeler's Market, Bowles Drugs, Sampson's Bowling Alley, Little Bakery, Cholken Real Estate & Sudsy Sid's Coin Laundry
Entry/Object ID
2024.790.16
Scope and Content
Photograph
Context
The aerial photograph overlooks the beachfront at Mosley Street between 18th (Joan Avenue) and 19th Street, shows several businesses.
Wheelers Marketeria was operational 1969 - 1974, and was owned by Mr. Colin Freer. The Marketeria would then become Wheelers IGA (818 Mosley Street) owned by Colin Freer 1974 - 1980. Aaron Yermus owned the IGA 1980 - 1984. Morley Berkovitch purchased Wheelers IGA in 1985.
Bowles Drug Store opened in 1954 and was the first year-round pharmacy in Wasaga Beach. Operated by Ted and Grace Bowles, the original building rented by the Bowles was a two-room building. In 1958, the Bowles built and moved into a new store on the lot next door. The original building still stands.
The Bowling Alley was originally built by Tony Beck, the first Reeve of the Town of Wasaga Beach. There were eight bowling lanes and a snack bar with pinball machines and a juke box later. The lanes were equipped with five pin and ten pin bowling and pins were set manually by pinsetters who were often area children/teenagers. Eventually automated pinsetters were installed. The bowling alley was later owned by the Sampson Family and was torn down in the mid 70's and became part of the parking lot for the new IGA Plaza.
In the far top left of the photograph, Sudsy Sid's Coin Laundry can be seen. Sid and Joan Martin first leased a laundromat around the corner from this location. When the leased laundromat was destroyed by fire, Sid and Joan built the main floor of Sudsy Sid's Coin Laundry, circa 1961-62 and then added a second-floor apartment with another addition on the beach side of the building later.
The business beside Bowles Drugs was the Little Bakery owned by Mr. & Mrs. George McWilliam. Cholken Real Estate is to the left of the Bakery in the photograph and was owned by Pete Smith.
