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Fortin's turns 60
July 2nd 1946 in not a real significant date in the
large scope of things. Chilliwack Township's population just crested above
13,000. Our municipal airport opened the same year. The silver screen's were
playing a new movie called "It's a Wonderful Life", and the world welcomed the
births of some future notable people such as President George W.Bush, Singer /
Songwriter Cher, and actress Candice Bergen.
One thing that
did not make the national headlines was the opening of Fortin's Tool and Supply.
Started on this day 60 years ago, it may not even have made the local newspaper
much less caused a stir amongst the 13,000 some odd residents of
Chillliwack.
However it is a date that has been engraved in the archives of our minds and
we're proud to show our
age!
Founded in
1946 by Laurence Fortin and his father Charles Fortin, the main thrust of the
business back then was the machine shop. At one time Fortin's operated 4 stores.
Two in Chilliwack, one in Hope and another in Abbotsford. The decision was made
to focus on the one store, so eventually one was closed, and the two other
locations sold.
"There was
something special about the earlier times", says Jeff Fortin, current owner and
3rd generation Fortin, "We were open 6 days a week, we closed the store for a 1
hour lunch, and making deliveries was unheard of." People would often stop by
just for a coffee or a chat to catch up on the local news. "Business was so much
more personal back then", adds
Jeff.
How things
have changed. One only need to look at the population and business explosion in
Chilliwack and surrounding areas to see that some of those things we held dear
are probably gone. However, Fortin's refused to fade away with those memories.
In Sept of 92, Fortin's doubled in size by opening a new building at their
current location to keep up with the high demand. This new location boasts a
state of the art environmentally friendly machine shop that today still rivals
the competition across the Fraser
Valley.
Realizing
the growth and high demand, Fortin's opened a second parts location in Vedder
Crossing, and soon after, tripled its size by adding a brand new Home Hardware.
The concept of one-stop auto parts and hardware under the same roof continues to
work well. Purchasing power is a key element to staying competitive in today's
fast changing market place. Fortin's are proud to be members of Auto Sense &
Home Hardware, Canada's largest Automotive/Hardware buying
groups.
In
addition, foundations have been laid at their Chilliwack store to accommodate
Fortin's new Marine Engine & Service division due to open in the spring of
2006.
"Hiring
great staff and making them part of the team" has been a Fortin credo over the
years. Some of the "old" crew still grace the floors at Fortin's, serving a
reminder to the younger team players that great customer service, honesty, and
reliability are the key to success.
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