Looking for memories to document the store..leave them in the comment section. Thanks! From the scrapbook of Jean Sabourin‘s mum.

I bought a new wood stove from Fred. It was in the store but I had to wait for payday to buy it. Fred said “Take it now and pay for it when you get paid”. I was not a long-time resident of Lanark or the area, so I was thankful and impressed

Barb Mc

Had everything you needed. Always friendly service. Bought toys and a pair of cross country skis I still use.

Joanne Crawford

I remember buying 45’s from Orok’s. They had a small but decent record selection.

Keitha Price

Best store ever!!!

CLIPPED FROMThe Ottawa CitizenOttawa, Ontario, Canada11 May 1960, Wed • Page 27

CLIPPED FROMThe Ottawa CitizenOttawa, Ontario, Canada03 Sep 1959, Thu • Page 4

Merchants now in business on George Street since the fire are Traill’s Flower Shop, Machan’s barber shop, Drysdale’s ready-to-wear store and Fred Orok’s hardware store, making its “grand opening” Saturday.

Jack Strang who saw his large drug store and gift store burn to the ground sold his lot to a new comer Fred Orok and left to work in Ottawa. Mr. Orok built and opened a modern hardware store and patent drug outlet on the site and reports he is more than satisfied with his decision to go into business in what most people thought might be a ghost town.

CLIPPED FROMThe Ottawa CitizenOttawa, Ontario, Canada11 May 1960, Wed • Page 27

CLIPPED FROMThe Ottawa JournalOttawa, Ontario, Canada30 Apr 1957, Tue • Page 2

CLIPPED FROMThe Ottawa JournalOttawa, Ontario, Canada11 Jun 1960, Sat • Page 34

On the Ministry office moving to Carleton Place

Each office now employs about 27. Bailey, who will head the new Carleton Place district, agrees the shift will mean the loss of a few dollars buying power in Lanark but insists local contractors will have as much opportunity as ever for ministry contracts. “Most major purchases are handled by tender anyway,” Bailey explained. “It’s the little purchases that will make the difference.”

Hardware store owner Fred Orok agrees the economics impact on the village of 900 will be “nickel and dime stuff.” He figures his store stands to lose about $25 profit a week, but that’s not what is bugging him. “It’s the secretaries who won’t be browsing on their lunch hour through Drysdale’s clothing store or the dozen or so lunches not served up at Perry’s restaurant. “The people in Lanark have always been oriented that way “to fish, forests and wildlife,” says Orok. “This doesn’t seem fair. It doesn’t make sense. They’ve g’ot their offices, garages and everything already here. . ” “It’s a place the whole communi- ty is proud of. It’s good for tourists too. They come in here asking about fishing licences or whatever and we just point them up tie street. Why move it to the middle of a farming area?” -! Village reeve Len Echlin echoed Orok’s disappointment. He calls the decision to merge the two districts “a foolish move. They’ve got a new building and garage there on five acres of land with lots of room f6r expansion,” he noted. ‘ t “I don’t know how many hiin- dreds of thousands of dollars they already have invested here. Doest it make any sense to pack up ah’d move where you’ll either have ‘to build the same building over again or rent space?

CLIPPED FROMThe Ottawa CitizenOttawa, Ontario, Canada04 Sep 1980, Thu • Page 3