© 2013, 2017 Christian Cassidy
A number of buildings on Main Street have undergone exterior renovations of late giving us a glimpse at their early 1900s exteriors. There was the Yale Hotel, Green Brier Inn, and now the Colish Block at 1969 - 1973 Main Street at Newton Avenue. Most know it as the home of Blondie's Restaurant.
The early years of this building are associated with a well-respected pillar of the West Kildonan community named Isaac Colish. He was born in Lithuania in 1878 and came to Winnipeg via London, England in 1907 with his wife Anne and children Hugh, Janey and Sheila.
The family settled in West Kildonan where Isaac opened the municipality's first grocery store at the corner of Main Street and Newton Avenue. The family lived in one of the suites upstairs. At the time, a stream used to cross Main Street at that location.
The store soon became the focal point of West Kildonan's community life and Colish was more than just a shopkeeper.
In his Winnipeg Free Press column of October 22, 1989, columnist Vince Leah wrote: "Isaac Colish never drove an automobile, walking from his home on the east side of Main Street in conducting his affairs. He is remembered as the merchant who went out of his way to help those who were impoverished and … was never quite sure what people owed him."
Colish was elected as an alderman to the inaugural council of the Municipality of West Kildonan in 1914. Two years later, he was acting reeve while Edmund Partridge served in the war and remained on council until 1920, (Municipal elections took place annually back then.)
Though he no longer sat on council, Colish did not leave community life.
In 1922, he helped organize the West Kildonan Residents' and Ratepayers' Association. The inaugural meeting was held in his building and he was as its first vice president. He also served as Manitoba's first Jewish police magistrate.
Anne Colish was also very active in the community. She was president at one time or another of the Winnipeg Jewish Orphanage, Ashkenazie Women’s Sisterhood and Winnipeg Hadassah.
In 1919, Isaac and Anne moved to a house at 123 Newton, just a block from the store, and appear to have leased out the business through the early 1920s. Proprietors listed in street directories, all of whom lived above the store while they managed it, were Joseph Mount in 1920, John Refeen in 1921, J. Earn in 1923, and Malcolm Ridge in 1924.
In 1926, Isaac's son Hugh and a man named Percy Greaves took it over and it was known briefly as “Colish and Greave's”
Isaac ran a feed store from the 1973 Main Street portion of the building in the mid-1920s but by 1930 the grocery store was all that remained. he took it back over and it was again called Isaac Colish Grocery.
The Colishes sold the business and home around 1943 and moved to Stratford Hall Apartments at College Avenue and Charles Street. Both stayed active in a variety of community projects in retirement.
Colish got involved in new business ventures in his retirement.
In the mid-1940s he was co-proprietor of the Snack Shop with son Hugh.
In the 1950s, he partnered with another son, William (Bill), in the Dainty White Company, which manufactured a range of household chemicals and cleaners.
In 1957, the council of West Kildonan voted to rename Avery Drive to Colish Drive in Isaac Colish's honour.
By 1960, the couple lived in the Perth Apartments on Perth Street.
Anne Colish died in April 1961 at the age of 78. Isaac died at Sharon Home on April 10, 1977 at the age of 100.
The Colish Block was owned by Morris Schwartz from 1947 into the 1960s. From 1948 to 1957, he ran Sherry’s Food Store, then leased it to Thelma Foy who opened Foy's Cafe and Lunch Bar.
The current main floor tenant, Blondie's, opened in 1990 as "Blondie's on Main" lunch counter. The current owner, Sandy Doyle, is hoping to sell the business to the right owner.
Also see: Isaac Colish and the Jews of West Kildonan at the Jewish Heritage Centre
1 comment:
I hope they keep it au naturel!
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