When I was setting up the Eaton’s Christmas Catalogue room display at the Carleton Place and Beckwith Heritage Museum I was asking Jennifer Fenwick Irwin if she remembered the Regal Catalogue. I can remember my Grandmother and neighbours buying boxes of cards and gift wrap. It seemed every card you got on a special occasion was from the Regal catalogue.
I had no idea Regal was still around until I walked in to the The Artisan Loft & General Store in Smiths Falls today. Owner Cheryl told me there are only 3 people still in the area that sell Regal. According to their site Regal has been around since 1928. William McCartney decided he wanted to manufacture his own greeting cards and with the support of a woman who would later become his wife the card and gift wrapping business began.
In the 40s the Canadian school system got involved using Regal as a source for fundraisers and that is probably the first place I saw a Regal Catalogue in the 50s. I remember the smelly erasers and especially the 100 pairs of earrings. Then there were those gadgets- and they seemed to be made exclusively for them as you couldn’t find them anywhere else except the Regal Catalogue.
The Regal warehouse is not located in every major town like it used to be. Their main warehouse is now in Barrie, Ontario, but Regal lives on. Its nice to see tradition and nostalgia still lives on in that little catalogue. Every season has a memory just like the Regal catalogue. The fact that it is still around means I don’t have to trade my tomorrow for a single yesterday.
If you are driving through Smiths Falls stop in and say Hi to Cheryl at her store. Those Regal catalogues are right by the cash register. Who knew? Don’t forget the Museum open house this Saturday and bring the kids.
The Artisan Loft & General Store
7 Russell St W, (Davidson Business Courtyard)
Smiths Falls, Ontario.
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