Coined as the oldest general store in Canada, Frieze & Roy has been operating for nearly 200 years. While the small shop was heavily involved in shipbuilding in its early days, it has since evolved into a retail space and restaurant. Still operating today, Nova Scotians have been shopping at Frieze & Roy for generations.

Setting sale

The beginning of Frieze & Roy dates back to 1839 in Maitland, Nova Scotia when David Frieze opened a small general store and invested in sailing vessels. In the 1860s, he found a business partner, Adam Roy, and the business officially became Frieze & Roy in 1868.

Roy’s connections in the marine industry allowed the pair to grow operations steadily. His brother Alexander, a shipbuilder, constructed several notable vessels that set sail under the Frieze & Roy name, including the Brig Trust, Esther Roy and the Barque Snow Queen. Roy’s brother Thomas also captained many of the vessels.

In addition to building ships, Frieze & Roy utilized the town’s proximity to the ocean to trade overseas. The best sales day in company history was $27,000 in 1862 when they loaded 14 ships.

Outside of their entrepreneurial endeavours, Frieze and Roy were active in their community and advocates of Maitland. Both were a justice of the peace at one time and ensured their business operations supported the town.

Changing course

Acknowledging changes in the shipping industry and community needs in the 1880s, Frieze and Roy shifted their focus to retail operations. Product selection in their store expanded to include everything locals could need; hardware, groceries, clothes, toys, lumber, gifts, candy, shoes and more.

Over time, generations of the Frieze and Roy families became involved in operations. David’s son George joined in the 1880s and Adam’s son Fred took over the family business at just 19 years old. Fred passed the company on to his daughter Margaret Sanford and it remained in the family until it was purchased by Glenn Martin in 2004. Part of the deal was that Martin would preserve the shop’s long history.

Going strong

Today, operations continue at Frieze & Roy in Maitland, Nova Scotia. Still a retail shop, Frieze & Roy has expanded to add a restaurant on the premises, The Mud Slide Café, where customers can enjoy classic comfort food like fish and chips. Current owner Troy Robertson took over the business about 15 years ago with his wife. In a CBC interview, Robertson reported that restoring the shop involved a lot of work to repair water damage, flooring and other issues.

A historic business in the small town, generations of locals have shopped at Frieze & Roy. As the shop approaches 200 years in operation, it appears that Canada’s oldest general store is still going strong.

Note: A representative of Frieze & Roy was unavailable for an interview; the above article is based on third-party research.

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