A past view of two out of three of the buildings that make up the current Craig's Department Store; similar to what the new owners hope to resemble with their remodel. Photo submitted
A group of local business owners have entered into a purchase agreement for the Craig’s Department Store buildings with the hope of preserving their historical value.
The new owners would like to acknowledge John and Doug Stewart for their significant support and contributions towards the community in the past and to thank them for their understanding and efforts towards the current project which would not have moved ahead without them.
At 112 years in business, Craig’s is the second oldest family-owned business in its original location in the province (with Long’s Value Drug Mart being first). Finding the historic buildings beautiful and unique, the new owners plan to renovate the interior and exterior storefronts similar to the three original independent facades.
Feeling that the downtown core in Vermilion is in a unique position because it has seen a sizeable amount of renewal and investment in the past decade, the new owners felt that redeveloping the Craig’s buildings would be a good fit to what the Town of Vermilion and businesses have done to revitalize the area.
Wanting to leave Craig’s legacy intact, recognizing the ones who started this and the fact that they’ve done so much for the community over the years, the new owners plan on maintaining the Craig’s signage.
The new building development will be called Craig’s Cornerstone. According to the new owners, new and existing retail businesses have already committed to leasing two-thirds of the main floor building area. They are still in the process of looking for potential businesses to fill the current menswear location, as well as looking at options for the third floor that overlooks the downtown core.
Anyone looking for potential lease space can contact Toland Cochrane at 780-808-6949.