Main Street 5
This image shows Trout Festival in the late 1950's which was an outstanding event, and was always held on Main Street and the kids loved it. This image also shows the Blue & White store which no longer exists today.
This image shows where the Blue & White and the P&G Bakery once operated as businesses. It is a parking lot now for customers to The Bargain Store and other Main Street businesses.
In the background stands another one of Flin Flon's landmarks which was known to most of us as The Doghouse, owned and operated by Ray Hicken
This image shows another sad day in Flin Flon history. The Richmond Hotel being destroyed by fire and next to the Richmond is Dembinskys Men's Wear which still operates today, and a vacant lot which was later used by Dembinskys for expansion. The next business was Ormiston's Florest who operated a business on Main Street for a good number of years until he retired, then passing the business onto Brenda Gilmore, then it was passed to Emily Finnie who closed the business and retired. Next to Ormistons was an intriguing little store known as Sam Young's Furniture Exchange. I remember Sam as a quiet soft spoken older gentleman who made his living by selling second hand furniture from this location until he retired.
This image shows where the Richmond Hotel once stood. Flin Flon's Centennial Library was erected on this location as Flin Flon's Centennial project in 1967. This has been an asset to our community and still receives a fair amount of use.
This image comes from the Flin Flon's Visual History book showing what was once known as Hicken's Shoe service being in the late 1940's.
This image was taken in the late 1950's which was Flin Flon's notorious Doghouse, also owned and operated by Ray Hicken on the location where the shoe service once stood. This was operated by Ray & Peggy as the Doghouse for a number of years selling Nips, Chips, Hotdogs & Ice Cream. Later Ray bought into a franchise known as KFC – Kentucky Fried Chicken. This was new to Canada and new to Flin Flon. This business took off and it wasn't long until Ray had a business in The Pas and Thompson, Man. Later he sold the business to Nyall Hyndman and Nyall moved the business to a location on Main Street for a number of years, and then built a new restaurant on Ross Lake Island where the business operates today by Nyall's son Dennis and family.
Today when you look up Third Avenue towards the Cenotaph, you can see many changes, the one time Doghouse, owned today by Greg East which has been converted into apartments and office facilities, once was the home of North Roots owned and operated by Frank Fieber, one time barbershop owned and operated by Ernie Hucaluk and later Hill's Taxation.
On the opposite side of the street there was a structure known as Verona's Restaurant owned and operated by George Rodarakis, who later sold the business to Francis Laval. The restaurant closed, and today a pizza place operates out of the rear kitchen known as Chucky D's, owned by Chuck Laderoute.
The space for Flin Flon's City Hall once stood on the right is Northern Rainbow's End Gifts & Flowers, owned and operated by Leona Kemp. This building was erected by the Wolters family and was known as the Flin Flon Bakery prior to it becoming Northern Rainbow's End Gifts & Flowers.
This image shows what was once The Doghouse, and the vacant parking lot was once the Blue & White Store, and across the street is Flin Flon's Centennial Library which was once the Richmond Hotel. Yes Main Street has changed.
Dembinsky's Men's Wear is one of Flin Flon's oldest businesses. The Dembinsky family started their business venture in The Pas, Man., and then opening a business in Flin Flon which was operated by Frank & Sonny Dembinsky. You had to go a long way to find better quality and service that you received from these two gentlemen. In latter years after the passing of Sonny, Frank sold the business to Ken Rusk and Ken Dowding. Ken Rusk passed away a number of years ago and today the same business and the same service is provided by Ken Dowding and his helper Lyle Watkins and some friendly girls.
This is a picture of Frank Dembinsky in the late 1950's or early 1960's when he served as Mayor of the City of Flin Flon. After Frank retired, he went to the State of New York and worked for a developer. Frank was an outstanding citizen, and always had time to talk to you and he is still alive today, living in the state of California.
This is an image that I retrieved from an old postcard which I assume was in the early 1940's. There are many structures here that were gone or had changed their fronts when I arrived in 1957. This to me is a great image of Main Street in that day and age. If anyone can contribute any information, I would appreciate it. It shows the Corona Hotel and some other businesses that I was not aware of. I am sure that there is someone out there who might be able to fill in some of the blanks.