This month marks a milestone anniversary for one of downtown North Battleford鈥檚 most notable businesses.
Dec. 1 marked the 60th anniversary of Bill and Don鈥檚 Men鈥檚 Wear and Shoes, located on 101st Street.
Today, Ben Christensen and Derek Schmidt are equal partners in the business, which continues to carry on the names of the original proprietors of the store, Bill Wheeldon and Don Ross.
Both had worked at other men鈥檚 wear stores in the community and were actually related, through marriage. 鈥淏ill was actually Don鈥檚 uncle, not many years older than Don, but that鈥檚 just the way it worked out,鈥� said Christensen.
鈥淭hey always knew each other and probably both shared this dream, and they put it to reality.鈥�
Their new store originally opened at what is now the Jeans 鈥榥鈥� Joggers location on 101st Street.
In March 1966, the store moved up the street to their current location at 1232 - 101st St. 聽聽
That will mean another celebration in just a few months 鈥� 50 years at the same location downtown.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a staple of the downtown, and it鈥檚 home for us,鈥� Schmidt says. 鈥淚t wouldn鈥檛 be the same if we鈥檙e out at a mall location or out stand alone by ourselves.鈥�
He also points out there are still many people who work downtown, including those working in the banks as well as lawyers, doctors and other professionals.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 part of our customer base, is the people who work downtown.鈥澛�
鈥淯nless something drastic happens, downtown is going to be home for Bill and Don鈥檚 for a lot of years.鈥澛�
Christensen鈥檚 involvement in the business spans 40 years, back to 1975, when he started working for the summer.
鈥淔riends were leaving for Jasper, so I quit working at Bill and Don鈥檚 after a very, very short time period.鈥�
聽He went away for a few months, and when he came back he was planning to return to school in Winnipeg, Man.
鈥淒on approached me and asked if I would come back, and offered me a little more money than I was making. And I guess I must have been impressed, because I chose to come back that October.鈥澛犅犅�
Christensen eventually took on a 12 per cent stake in the business and, by 1984, was planning to take a bigger share. Wheeldon was planning to retire and Christensen was going to take on a one-third share while Ross would take on two-thirds.
But Don Ross died suddenly in 1984 at the age of 52. After that, Wheeldon 鈥渨anted more than ever to leave the business,鈥� said Christensen, and sold out in May of 1984.
That opened the door to Jim Ross, Don鈥檚 son, to move from Calgary, Alta. to take on the business.
Both Ross and Christensen became equal partners in Bill and Don鈥檚 Men鈥檚 Wear.
In 1998, Jim sold his share of the business and Derek Schmidt bought a one-third share to Christensen鈥檚 two-thirds. A year later they became equal partners.
鈥淪o the history is Bill and Don, Bill and Don and Ben, Ben and Jim, and then Ben and Derek,鈥� said Christensen.
But even though the business is Ben and Derek鈥檚, the name 鈥淏ill and Don鈥檚鈥� remains on the sign in front.
鈥淲e鈥檝e just never had any interest in changing the name,鈥� said Christensen.
鈥淭hey were two very respected members of the community and we鈥檙e very happy to live within their legacy.鈥澛犅犅犅�
Wheeldon and Ross were well known not just for their business, but for their active community involvement.
Ross was elected to city council and served for 24 years in total. The Don Ross Centre and Arena bears his name as a lasting tribute to his efforts.
鈥淗e was a great musician, an amazing personality,鈥� said Christensen.聽
The one regret for Schmidt, who started at Bill and Don鈥檚 in 1992, was he never got to meet Don Ross when he was alive.
鈥淚 was 11 years old when Don Ross passed away,鈥� said Schmidt. 鈥淪o I never did get to meet the gentleman. I try to carry on the legacy that he and Bill set out, but unfortunately I never did get get to meet Don Ross.鈥�
It鈥檚 鈥渟omething you can鈥檛 turn back time and do over, I guess,鈥� said Schmidt.
Wheeldon, who died in 2013, was active on the Chamber of Commerce and also later served on council after his retirement, though he opted to serve for only one term and did not run again.聽
That legacy of community involvement has rubbed off on the current ownership.
鈥淚t kind of trickles down,鈥� said Schmidt.
鈥淏en鈥檚 been very involved 鈥� in community groups, and I think I鈥檝e kind of learned the same thing, via Ben, via Bill and Don, to get involved.鈥澛犅�
Christensen used to be on the school board and is currently on the Prairie North health board. Schmidt has been active with the Chamber of Commerce and more recently with the downtown business improvement district. And they have been involved in other ways as well.
鈥淲hat they set up as doing right for your community, we鈥檝e kind of followed the same footsteps and continued that to this day,鈥� said Schmidt.
鈥淭hey were great mentors and role models,鈥� Christensen adds about Bill and Don. 鈥淲e really appreciate the legacy they鈥檝e left us.鈥澛� 聽
Both Ben and Derek have tried to follow the same tradition of Bill and Don in providing hands-on, quality service for their customers.
鈥淥ne of the successes of this business is that we remain contemporary, always,鈥� said Christensen.
鈥淲e鈥檝e never feared having fine quality clothing. We鈥檝e always wanted to provide our customers with current and fashionable apparel for men. We appreciate that men, and that men appreciate, too, that they can come in here and they can buy their best suit for their needs, and they can buy a pair of jeans and they can buy a housecoat. We have everything that men need and that鈥檚 always been our philosophy, to provide everything we can.鈥�
They also appreciate that women come in, too, to shop for their husbands, said Christensen. 鈥淢any of the men we鈥檝e never met, we know their sizes, but we鈥檝e never met them.鈥�
To stay contemporary, they go to major buy markets in Saskatoon and Edmonton, Alta. where companies from across North America are, and also travel to Montreal, Que. to the warehouses to pick up things for the holiday season.聽聽聽聽聽聽聽
鈥淚 think we鈥檝e got a pretty good grasp of the style of what鈥檚 in at the time,鈥� said Schmidt.
鈥淲hat I find very interesting about this business is we can service three or four generations. We鈥檝e seen grandfathers, fathers and sons all come in during the same week to get something for, say, the wedding coming up or whatever. So that鈥檚 kind of what鈥檚 unique about this business, is you provide service to many generations, at a great price point and quality service.鈥澛犅犅�
May and June are traditionally the busiest months, as that is the graduation season and also the lead up to the wedding season. Also busy months are November and December, the Christmas shopping season.
January is always a big month as well, said Christensen, because it is their fiscal year end so they hold their big sale of the year then.
The motto of the store is 鈥渇or the events in your life,鈥� and it is one Christensen says they try to live up to, always.聽
The proprietors credit their staff.聽
鈥淚 think that鈥檚 one of the successes of 60 years in business,鈥� said Schmidt.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e not just sales people and they鈥檙e not just marking inventory. They do pretty much everything on a daily basis, from sweeping to marking to selling to input in buying. So it鈥檚 very important that our staff has been with us for a long time and continue in our success after 60 years.鈥�
A mainstay of their business is their tailor, Heather Pylypow. She has been with the store for 35 years.
鈥淲e cannot get by without her. She is a working artist with a needle and thread,鈥� said Christensen.
Their full-time staff member is Shannon Thompson, who has been with the store since 2009 and is very involved with an aspect of the store that some may not be aware of 鈥� the dance apparel portion.
About 20 years ago Virginia Ross-Winterhalt set up Dance Connection in the community. She is Don Ross鈥檚 daughter, and 鈥渧ery, very talented, artistically and musically,鈥� said Christensen. 鈥淪he really has many of her father鈥檚 attributes.
With Dance Connection and another studio, Annette鈥檚 School of Dance, in operation, the decision was made to diversify into dance apparel and that has been a part of the store since 1995.
It鈥檚 not only served a client base that needs those items, but has also drawn a new and more diverse client base for the rest of what the store offers.
鈥淚 think that鈥檚 drawn in quite a few new faces. They don鈥檛 expect a dancewear store to be in a men鈥檚 wear store,鈥� said Thompson.聽
Above all else, Bill and Don鈥檚 credits the loyalty of their customers and particularly the connection they have with them for staying in business.
Ben and Derek have fond memories of one customer in particular.
Her name was Daisy, and they recalled she always came by around November or December each year looking for items to provide as gifts for her son who lived in Saskatoon.
鈥淪he came in without fail for his birthday and for Christmas,鈥� said Christensen. She lived independently into her 100s, and for many years would walk from her home to Bill and Don鈥檚 to buy her items and visit with the staff.
Schmidt said, 鈥淚t was so cool that she made the effort to walk down,鈥� he said. And she would do this in December when conditions were not pleasant.
鈥淚t was only in her later years when we would give her a ride home. She would come in, and we would insist that we give her a ride home,鈥� said Christensen.
Daisy was a customer who 鈥渓eft a lasting impression on our business,鈥� he said, and there are many others they point to as well who are customers today.聽
鈥淚t鈥檚 loyalty like that that you can鈥檛 buy.鈥�
As for the future, while Derek clearly anticipates a lot of years ahead in the business, Ben is approaching the time when retirement might be an option. Although he admits to taking more holidays than ever before, he said he has no plans to step aside.
Christensen noted Wheeldon had felt that he left the business at too early an age, and he has always kept that thought in mind.
鈥淚 will be here as long as I enjoy the business,鈥� Ben said.
