The True Carleton Place Story of Joie Bond- by Jennifer Hamilton

The Carleton Place and Beckwith Heritage Museum

Jennifer Bond Hamilton sent me this story about Joie Bond. As you know I have been trying to gather details about her and Annie Joey Cram. Thanks to Jennifer Bond Hamiltion we have a story. Thank you Jennifer– this has really made my day, week and month…

It is only through sharing that we piece together what once was and should never be forgotten.

 

 

Hello, My name is Jennifer (Bond) Hamilton. Gordon Bond was my father, Joie Bond was my aunt, my dad’s sister. The building on the main street of Carleton Place (beside the Mississippi Hotel) housed by grandmother Mimi’s wool/novelty shop on one side, my grandfather Henry’s barber shop on the other side, and living quarters for the family behind and above the shops.

As my grandmother’s health failed, Joie stayed home to care for her and took over the duties of the shop. I remember as a child my twin sister and I having a lot of fun in the “weird but wonderful” shop of treasures. In addition to wool and sewing supplies, at one time the stock also included school supplies, tea cups & saucers, figurines and other novelties. The shop was always a mess but Joie always took great pride in her appearance–dresses, hats, gloves…always neat and fashionable.

 

 

 

Every Christmas Joie would board the train (always first class in the diner car) and spend a few days with us in Kingston, as did my uncle Tiny (Percy) who lived in Montreal. My sister and I remember that Joie was a little superstitious especially with the color green. Hated it! A little tricky at Christmas when most wrapping paper had some green in it. We learned early on to wrap her presents in red! My parents took her to parties over the holiday season and she loved the social life, a break from her commitment to the shop in Carleton Place.

When both Joie and our uncle Lloyd who also lived in the house became ill and went to nursing homes, my father was tasked with emptying and selling the house on behalf of the family. You can only imagine the task we had ahead of us in Joie’s shop! By then, the late 70’s, the stock was quite depleted but every nook and cranny had some treasure stuffed in it (even little piles of coin here and there that hadn’t made it to the til). It took several months for my dad, sister and I (with baby in tow) to collect, sort, organize … our very own Reality TV show way ahead of its time. Joie was certainly a champion hoarder.

I’m not sure who eventually took the stock, my sister and I each knit a throw; my dad had a couple of local ladies who found homes for some things; much of it had been on the shelves for a long time, was old, dated and of little use to anyone. What I remember most about Joie (from stories passed down by my parents) is that she was once a young woman who had gone off to Business School, was ready to embark on life and likely leave Carleton Place as her sister Peggy had done, but she stayed behind to nurse her ailing mother and support her father. As the years went by she was alone much of the time, often her only social contact was through the shop.

Joie developed a reputation as being quite a ‘character’, a little strange even, especially when she became hard of hearing later in life and often seemed quite ‘out of it’. She certainly operated ‘her’ shop in her own quirky way and even became somewhat of a celebrity in the area for doing it ‘her way’.

Ted Walsh

My Mom, Barbara Walsh, bought a lot of the leftover yarn, knitting materials, threads, sewing supplies and some of the fabric when Joie closed her shop. My wife inherited half of whatever Mom did not use, and my sister, Lorna Drummond got the other half. Those materials have been used successfully for years and now my daughter has used the yarns for many projects, there was so much of it. We were very thankful to Joie Bond for all those materials.

Author’s Note– And that is why these two women, Joie Bond and Annie Joey Cram fascinate me.. they always did it their way– no matter how others were stuck in their traditional ways. My hat is off to them both. The Carleton Place Originals.

Here’s another picture of the Xmas parade – 1970. The Ford and Dorman kids. Norma Ford– see the Bond sign? Keith Giffin– The brick house in the picture on Beckwith Street was the MacDougall family home. Mrs. MacDougall worked at the hydro office on mill st. Rollie and Ruth were the only children I knew, Rollie lives in Shawville Que. on his family farm.

Related reading

Looking for information on Joey Bond

The Name is Bond—-Joie Bond

Before the Stompin Tom Mural….There Was

I Now have Part of Joey Cram

Searching for Joey Cram of Carleton Place

 

Buy Linda Secaspina’s Books— Flashbacks of Little Miss Flash Cadilac– Tilting the Kilt-Vintage Whispers of Carleton Place and 4 others on Amazon or Amazon Canada or Wisteria at 62 Bridge Street in Carleton Place