DARREN TAYLOR: News stories spark memories of the Davis Block, Tech building

It’s now the home of the new Queenstown Drug Mart on the corner of Queen and Bruce Streets, a much needed repurposing of a sturdy old Sault building which will provide a pharmacy, groceries and other goods and services in the city’s downtown.

Nice to see, but when I visited the drug mart (which opened its doors for a soft opening Dec. 4) to speak to the owner and snap a few photographs, I couldn’t help but be swept away by a flood of old, good memories of the site when it was home to Davis Clothing.

I remember tagging along to the store with my older brother in the mid 1970s as he shopped for a pair of jeans. 

I remember jeans at that particular time, apart from Levi’s and GWG denims, included those with the Jordache or Britannia labels - dark blue, skinny fit jeans, impossibly tight to wear, but people were somehow able to squeeze into them anyway.

Music from a rock group, popular at the time, was playing over the speakers on the store’s walls.

“Excellent album boy, I gotta get it!” I overheard one young shopper exclaim to another.

Fast forward a few years to the 1980s, when it was my turn to shop at Davis Clothing and look ‘cool.’

To me, the ‘80s were the best.

It was a time of personal dreams, the kind you have when you’re in your early 20s. I didn’t have a clue as to what my own personal dreams were, but I knew ‘everything would turn out alright.’

Most things did, eventually. I’ve been blessed.

Already personally interested in following the news and politics, I recalled a sense of optimism in Canada, with a new federal government having replaced an increasingly unpopular one (‘jobs, jobs, jobs’ were coming!).

Ronald Reagan was the President of the United States, with a close political rapport with British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

I thought Reagan was awesome. He ‘looked’ like a president, and he swore he would fix that ‘evil empire’ known as the Soviet Union. 

I thought Thatcher was awesome. At the time, she was what I called the best ‘man’ the British had.

One could line up at real, downtown movie theatres and see Schwarzenegger, Stallone and Eastwood movies, Star Trek movies starring the original cast, also personally making sure not to miss Roger Moore’s biennial portrayals of James Bond. 

All the guys and girls my age had ‘big hair’ and listened to ‘80s music, which, I thought, had an air of optimism and a great sound to it.

But, I digress, and I’ve outgrown these things.

One thing I remember in terms of fashion were young men’s shirts with zippers on the front. I had at least two of those. A college friend of mine worked at Davis Clothing part time. I joked with him and said ‘hey, why don’t you use your staff discount and buy me that?’ as I pointed to a black zippered shirt in the store. 

I was just joking.

However, at a surprise birthday party later held for me, my friend showed up and he had indeed bought it for me. 

I was touched.

I also remember purchasing a Longshoreman style toque with a long fold up brim, made from black wool.

Doesn’t sound that special, but Davis Clothing seemed to be the only store in town that sold them. I bought one to look like Charles Bronson’s Paul Kersey character from the Death Wish films (no, I’m not a vigilante, it was all about looking ‘cool’).

I wore it to school to be greeted with a lot of ‘hey, where’d you get that hat?’

Next thing I knew, two of my classmates had made the trip to Davis Clothing and purchased the same type of toques. It was the first, and probably the only time, I’ve been a trendsetter!

I have the same toque to this day.

Ah, memories of the ‘80s. Davis Clothing was a part of that, and like other stores such as Sentry, Woolco and Zellers, I was sorry to see it go.

I also visited the site of the old Tech Dec. 5 for a story and photo gallery.

Originally the Technical School, it was later known as Lakeway Collegiate, then St. Mary’s College, then The TECH (a repurposed multi-use community facility), and is now the Sault Activities Centre (another try at using the building, which is another old, well-constructed, rock solid one, as a multi-use site for food, sports, and hopefully, office and theatre space).

Escorted through the building for a tour, I saw a poster which included a photo of Canadian Tire’s old location on Queen Street, right in the downtown core (vaguely remembering one visit to the store as a preschooler with my father), as well as a photo of an old city bus. Archaic, clumsy looking things! They seemed old even when I was a child.  

I never attended the former Lakeway Collegiate as a high school student, but I do remember taking a ‘Career Planning’ high school level night course in the early ‘80s, plodding along to get the 27 credits needed for my Grade 12.

A classmate told the teacher he intended to stay local and open his own bar/restaurant. Sure enough he did, and is prospering at his Sault establishment today.

Another man I know attended high school in the building when it was the Technical School.

Walking through the halls reminded me of a humorous story he tells to this day.

He and a female student were voted 'Snow King' and 'Snow Queen' by the student body, the school having a winter carnival celebration of its own in the early 1960s.

A man who could've easily made a good living as a comedian/guitarist, he'll often say with a comical face and tone in his voice 'I told my sons when they were looking for jobs, tell everybody your old man was Snow King at The Tech. It opens doors!'

Most importantly, my evangelical church group rented the former Lakeway Collegiate for a two-day convention every Labour Day Weekend.

Never less than 200 people would attend, the visitors coming from all around.

We don’t have conventions any more, our numbers way down to a handful due to the passing away of many older members, younger families moving to other local evangelical gatherings with paid pastors (instead of elders and lay preachers), choirs, bands, soloists, hand clapping and fancy lighting (so be it, I’ll stick with the old way, though I don’t mean that bitterly toward anyone). 

Between sermons, delicious home cooked meals and desserts were served by the ladies in our church, the men would wash and dry the dishes.

Sermons were held in the school’s theatre.

Evangelists from Canada, the U.S. and the U.K. would attend, to teach and preach from the Bible.

Ah, the memories, both light and serious, that visits to old buildings can bring.