The hamlet of Mallaig has seen a lot of changes over the years since its founding in 1928, but a few things have remained constant - including the presence of St. Arnault Lumber, which has been a mainstay of the community for the past 70 years.
The hamlet of Mallaig has seen a lot of changes over the years since its founding in 1928, but a few things have remained constant - including the presence of St. Arnault Lumber, which has been a mainstay of the community for the past 70 years. This year, the family-run business celebrated a new milestone: the next generation taking ownership of the store.
With Gilbert St. Arnault semi-retiring at the age of 63, Gilbert's son Jay and his wife Stephanie have became the proud new owners of St. Arnault Lumber as of Jan. 1 this year. However, as Jay explains, it wasn't always obvious that this is where he would be.
“I worked here when I was a kid,&” he said of St. Arnault Lumber. As he grew older, he moved on and became a parts man at neighbouring Mallaig business A. Amyotte & Sons Welding, spending 10 years there learning his craft.
About eight years ago, his dad, who had been running a two-man business, said he was thinking of hiring, which spurred Jay to consider his future more closely.
“I loved my job at Amyotte's, I was happy there. I'd just bought a house in Mallaig. I was fairly rooted there,&” he said. “Then I thought, ‘What am I stupid? My name is on the sign.' You start to think a little more seriously about the future, about your life. And this is what I wanted, this is where I wanted to be.&”
“I love this community; I love Mallaig. I love the lumberyard, the people I work with here, my customers. I think it's a great town,&” he said.
The business's roots in Mallaig go back to 1944, when Jay's great-uncle Leon bought two lots in the community for the price of $50 each, building a shop in 1947 and operating the business under the name St. Arnault Lumber. Jay's grandfather Rolland came on as a partner in 1953, and in 1975, Rolland and Gilbert bought the business and formed a partnership, expanding the store to include lumber, building materials, hardware and paints.
The 1980s proved to bring tougher times with a plunge in the oil and gas sector, but in the late 1990s, early 2000s, things started turning around, says Gilbert.
Gilbert welcomed the news when Jay came to him and said he was ready to come back to St. Arnault Lumber and become part of the family business.
“When Jay decided he wanted to come, that was a perfect opportunity for him and I,&” Gilbert said. “The partnership has been nothing but great.&”
“Since then, we are a one, two, three, four, five, six-man operation,&” said Jay, counting up the employees. “We've been growing steadily.&”
Jay's 18-year-old son now works at the store, bringing in the fifth generation to the business, while Gilbert jokes Jay's younger kids are being groomed as well through bribes of sugar.
“We encourage his kids to come over, whether it be with candy, (while) later on it will be with work and rewards.&”
While dreams may already be in the grandfather's eyes for a future generation of St. Arnaults to run the store, right now, the business remains busy, delivering to a 100 km radius stretching from Vilna to St. Paul up to Lac La Biche and Cold Lake. The store has focused on building relationships with people to deliver products for the agriculture sector, custom home builds and the oil and gas sector, says Jay.
“We have a bunch of good contractors that we work with and that we have good relationships with - and that helps us to put food on the table,&” says Jay.
The community of Mallaig has grown as well in recent years, with a new subdivision that has provided more business for the local shop. The community of Mallaig has a lot to boast about, with local businesses, the school, and what Gilbert calls “family values&” keeping it going strong, through the arena, curling rink, sport activities, and of course, the well-renowned Haying in the 30's event.
“You get a love for a small town, there's no other place. You just love working there - supporting the community and the reward is getting the community's support,&” says Gilbert.
Jay says as he and his wife take on this new challenge, they hope to uphold the customer service and “the great job mom and dad have done over the years.&”
“We always hope to grow, get more business, and help get more people to build their dream home,&” he said of the future for St. Arnault Lumber. “Whatever the challenge is, we hope to build it. However busy that is, we'll just go with the flow.&”
