The Hughes Department Store and Hughes Warehouse in Oroville, popular for many years with Osoyoos residents, are closing their doors this month after 82 years in business. The store was hurt when the exchange rate on the dollar reduced the number of Canadians crossing to Oroville to shop. (Photo supplied)
Two historic businesses – Hughes Department Store and Hughes Warehouse – will close their doors before the end of January.
“We’re going out of business,” owner Jack Hughes said a week before Christmas. “We feel bad for our employees because it’s going to be a big loss to them” and the community.
Hughes purchased the 1000 23rd Ave., and 1412 Ironwood Street businesses in 2011 “and everything was going pretty good,” he said.
“But this year, with the Canadian exchange rate at 70 cents on the dollar and the fires; it was a terrible summer season for us,” he said. “It was just a combination of a lot of things. It just isn’t viable.”
Hughes, and his wife, Mary, purchased the store from the Prince family.
“I think it’s a devastation to the city,” Oroville Chamber of Commerce President Clyde Andrews said noting the history of the building. “It’s a sad day for Oroville.”
“For some of us that need stuff in the evenings it’s been the only place that’s open until 9 o’clock,” he said. “It’s sad that this is happening, putting some people out of work … it’s not like we have a lot of other” employment opportunities.
“We hope the best for Jack, but it is what it is.”
According to Chronicle files, the Hughes family purchased the-then 78-year-old businesses – which included Prince’s Department Store, Prince’s Ace Hardware and Prince’s Warehouse – from the Prince family in 2011.
Ben Prince Sr. founded the business in 1933 in a storefront along Main Street.
At the time it was called “Ben Prince Thrift Store,” a small version of what the store is today.
The warehouse store was then built in 1958. After Prince’s son, Jim, joined the business it was expanded to two buildings.
In June of 1978, Jim Prince opened a 61,000-square-foot shopping centre at the north end of town, which offered customers a full service supermarket, department store and Ace Hardware store under one roof.
Hughes had led the team at Prince’s Ace Hardware for 30 years before taking ownership.
A clearance sale began before Christmas with 30-per-cent off everything storewide.
“That’s everything in the store,” Hughes said. “There’s no exceptions.
“It’ll be bad for us but good for everybody wanting Christmas presents,” he said. “That’ll be for both the department store and the warehouse.”
While Hughes is saddened to see it close, he said he plans to continue his fireworks sales and thanks the community for their years of support.
“We sure appreciate the community,” he said. “They’ve been very supportive. We just couldn’t get enough support from across the border. ”
Weekly sale ads will continue to appear in The Chronicle as savings “percentages will be going up,” as a January 30-or-31 closing date nears, Hughes said.
“But things are moving fast.”
The Department Store is open daily from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. The Warehouse is open daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Brock Hires is a veteran reporter with The Omak-Okanogan County Chronicle newspaper.
BROCK HIRES
Special to the Times
