Your downtown is about to lose a legend
Bonjour from the North — three cities, one corridor, and the stories that don't make it south of Barrie.
Sometimes the news hits you right in the gut, eh? Like a shot of cold air off Lake Superior in January. We've got this one, buried quietly, but it's a big deal if you've ever walked Queen Street East. Camera Craft, after more than 65 years, is closing its doors. Think about that for a second. More than six decades. That store has seen generations of families go from film cameras to digital, from holiday snaps to professional portraits. It's been there, a steady presence, right across from where the old Eaton's used to be.
### A Sault Institution Fades Out
This isn't just another store closing; it’s a piece of the Sault's memory going with it. James Wishon and his family, they kept that place going even when digital photography completely flipped the script. They adapted, they served the community, they were a place where you could go for more than just a camera – you could get advice, get your old photos restored, even just chat about life in the Sault. It’s hard to imagine downtown without it. You drive down Queen Street and you expect to see their sign. Now, it's just... gone.
* **What we're losing:** A local business that adapted for decades, a place for advice and expertise, a community hub for photographers. * **The bigger picture:** It's another shift in our downtown core. Every time a long-standing business like this closes, it changes the character of Queen Street a little more. * **A sign of the times:** It speaks to the challenges small businesses face, even resilient ones, in a changing retail landscape.
This hits a bit different, non? It's not the Algoma Steel plant laying off workers, or the price of gas hitting crazy numbers. It's something smaller, more personal, but it chips away at the fabric of what makes the Sault *the Sault*. For everyone who ever got a roll of film developed there, or bought a new lens, or just admired the displays – it’s a tough one.
Marc-André Desjardins, MiTL Sports Desk, Sault Ste. Marie.
You need to hear what the gang on the morning show thinks about this – catch them live at mornings.live.