'A mom and pop shop': Grocery store opens in Hillsborough, N.B., after years without one
The Village of Hillsborough, N.B., is located about 25 minutes southeast of Moncton. Not a long trek, but long enough for someone who has to make the trip back and forth for groceries.
The village and the surrounding area have been without a grocery store for close to three years, but that's about to change.
The Gateway Market was a beehive of activity Thursday morning as wholesalers stocked the shelves of Hillsborough's new grocery store.
Byron Gourley purchased the building a little over a year ago after the Freshmart Grocery closed in 2019.
Gourley co-owns the market with his husband Chuck LeBlanc and the pair hope to not only provide a service to villagers, but to tourists.
"From Hillsborough to Alma is an hour's drive. So, all of Albert County from that rural area going down to the Bay of Fundy, there's no place to buy groceries," says Gourley.
“So when we moved here two and a half years ago, we saw a niche, and because there was a niche, there was a demand.”
The store was partly inspired by a popular Nova Scotia attraction.
"We're going to have a country aspect to it. Just like Masstown Market, when you go in there you can tell there's something different. You can tell it's more focused on a mom and pop shop as opposed to a big corporation, and we want to avoid that corporate feel to it," says Gourley.
Hillsborough Mayor Bob Rochon says having a grocery store back in the community is great news because people will no longer have to make the trip to Riverview or Moncton.
"With the price of gas, the way it's going, it's really going to appeal to people to shop locally and support the owners. And quite frankly, a lot of seniors will get their groceries here," says Rochon.
The owners have made extensive renovations and will be ready for a soft opening on May 28. A grand opening will come later in the summer.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
'It was joy': Trapped B.C. orca calf eats seal meat, putting rescue on hold
A rescue operation for an orca calf trapped in a remote tidal lagoon off Vancouver Island has been put on hold after it started eating seal meat thrown in the water for what is believed to be the first time.
Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
B.C. judge orders shared dog custody for exes who both 'clearly love Stella'
In a first-of-its-kind ruling, a B.C. judge has awarded a former couple joint custody of their dog.
Saskatoon police to search landfill for remains of woman missing since 2020
Saskatoon police say they will begin searching the city’s landfill for the remains of Mackenzie Lee Trottier, who has been missing for more than three years.
Shivering for health: The myths and truths of ice baths explained
In a climate of social media-endorsed wellness rituals, plunging into cold water has promised to aid muscle recovery, enhance mental health and support immune system function. But the evidence of such benefits sits on thin ice, according to researchers.