Succession for the Barachois general store, opened in 1909

Customers can go there to buy a carton of milk or piping, a microbrewery beer or a sheet of plywood, a cauldron, asphalt shingles, a head of lettuce, an oven or a mattress. A souvenir of a bygone era and a nod to history, nails are still sold in bulk today.

The Thompson general store – which many still call Chez Robin or Le Robin – has managed to resist the onslaught of time in the community of approximately 350 residents. And will last for several more years, thanks to the new owner Christine Côté, who purchased it on June 21.

“It’s more than just bread and butter: it’s a place where people come to say hello and chat. For some, it’s their only outing of the day. It’s a service for the Barachois community, which is already very tight-knit. It’s part of the village’s DNA; it creates encounters. Before, it was the church square, but it’s a little less popular so they come here. We couldn’t afford to lose it.”

A little history

Cod fishing is closely linked to the origins of Canada, having accompanied the colonization of North America as much, if not more, than with the fur trade (read about it Cod fishing in New Franceby Mario Mimeault). In July 1672, a fishing establishment was built in Petite-Rivière, a place that today corresponds to Barachois. It was the first permanent French habitation in the Gaspé.

Years later, working in the fishing industry, Charles Robin and Company – founded in 1783 – prospered for several decades… before collapsing in 1886 with the bankruptcy of its bank. It then joined forces with other merchants to set up the Robin, Jones and Whitman company, which opened its Barachois establishment in 1909. “The store bought fish directly from fishermen until the end of the 1950s, making it the last to continue such a practice,” recall historians Pascal Alain and Pierre Lehoud in their book Curiosités de la pointe de la Gaspésie.

Then, time flies and business continues on its merry way until 2004, when there is consternation in the village as Robin, Jones and Whitman files for protection under the Creditors Arrangement Act. A dark cloud hangs over Barachois and the worst is expected. However, that was before manager Carl Bond and Harris Thompson, a businessman from the village, bought the establishment in 2006. Harris Thompson later became the sole owner. In 2013, he injected $400,000 to revamp the facade, as it was originally. On June 21, after a few months on the real estate market, the torch was passed to Christine Côté, who intends to breathe new life into it.

Projects in mind

If the new owner intends to wipe the slate clean on the sale of household appliances and furniture, she will in return add other strings to her bow such as the sale of maple syrup equipment and common areas. Upstairs, the period floors and beams are a dream and immediately take visitors back to the last century.

The businesswoman will optimize these old spaces with a community room and offices. Professionals such as speech therapists or child psychiatrists will be able to come and meet their patients. They will be offered free accommodation. “The money dedicated to rent will be able to be reinvested in professional services,” summarizes Christine Côté.

Snack workshops with Belle Anse Elementary School will also be offered, as will respite Saturdays. “When I arrived 10 years ago, with three children and no family, I would have liked to have this kind of respite day. There are a lot of newcomers like me, we will be able to offer art workshops to the children, for example.”

On the ground floor, a new kitchen will be built to develop a ready-to-eat service. New refrigerators and freezers are already underway. The renovation work will begin on Thursday and will last six weeks. The business will remain open during the work. The Thompson General Store will ultimately become the Central Barachois.

The lack of succession could have hurt the community, if only for the food aspect. In Quebec, an acceptable threshold of geographic access to a food store is a distance of one kilometre in an urban area and 16 kilometres in a rural area, such as in Gaspésie, since it is considered that the high rate of vehicles per household compensates for the distance. The closest food markets are located in Gaspé and Percé, respectively forty and twenty kilometres away. The store also sees its share of tourists and visitors during the summer season, which should make it a meeting place for many. “There will no longer be any reason for people not to stop. The interior has remained a bit frozen in time, but we are going to make it something very attractive.”

When passing the Soleil, the general store has never been vacant, with regular customers chatting at length with employees; laughter bursting forth most of the time. It’s like that all the time. It’s a beautiful energy. This is what we must not lose; it’s something precious!” explains Christine Côté.

Let us recall for the record and posterity that she is originally from Montérégie, in a farming environment. She has lived in Gaspésie for 10 years. When she lost her mother, she needed a change of scenery and decided to take a sabbatical year, knowing only that she wanted to be near the sea. She had never been further than Matane or Carleton-sur-Mer. She left on Friday, found her future house on Saturday, visited it on Sunday, bought it on Monday and her partner found a job on Tuesday.

What was supposed to be a fleeting year-long affair ended up lasting. Their three children, then aged 15, 12 and 9, no longer wanted to leave the region. Neither do adults. Two years later, they obtained a quota of 26,000 taps and started the Érablière Côté sweet. “I would be sad to leave. We are so good in Gaspésie. I don’t think we’re leaving again,” says the new owner, laughing.

In 2016, in the pages of Soleil, Harris Thompson remembered the time when, at the age of 8, he himself went to buy a gallon of kerosene at the general store for 7¢. He mentioned in conclusion that his wish was that the general store, which held his childhood memories, would survive him. Her wish will come true thanks to Christine Côté.