Our store history

In 1899, Eugene and Sadie Fowler started a little store in their home near Blind Bay on Shaw Island. In 1924 they built the store at its present site, on the water’s edge. In the early days, feed (for the many island chicken farms) and building supplies for Shaw and other islands were an important part of the store trade.

The warehouse, adjacent to the store, was originally a cannery built for the Shaw Island Canning Company in 1912. The cannery processed salmon and produce from local farms. Later, the building was used for boat building, as well as sales of feed and lumber for the store.

In 1958 after many years in the Fowler family, the store was sold to a succession of owners. The Yansen, Leidig, and Nichols families each ran the store for a number of years.

In 1976 the Franciscan Sisters purchased the store and ran the ferry dock. The “Nuns” were famous for meeting the ferry in their brown habits and greeting people at the store. They maintained a chapel near the dock and welcomed many friends and visitors to Shaw. They continued to serve the Shaw Island community for 27 years and then they sold the property to Steve and Terri Mason and family. Over time the owners and the kinds of items for sale have changed but the store has always been the central hub of Shaw Island life.