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Less than a year after a fire forced the Foodland in Lion’s Head to close the fifth-generation grocery store is again open for business.
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Kyle and Kara Hellyer welcomed relieved customers back into the completely renovated community grocery store on Thursday morning.
“It’s been busy, just like before the fire. We had an amazing opening and it’s been steady since,” said Kara Hellyer.
The grand re-opening of the business in its 115th year of family operation included cake, coffee, door prizes and giveaways.
A photobook at the front of the store shows a timeline of the renovation, including photos of the damage the fire caused and the work involved in rebuilding the store’s interior.
There are also historic photos of the store placed in the front entryway, photos firefighters were able to save before dousing the flames.
The Lion’s Head Foodland closed after a fire on Aug. 29, 2023, caused by work on the outside of the grocery store, damaged large swaths of the old building, destroying the refrigeration and shelving units. There were no reports of injuries and most of the structure was saved but damage was still estimated at $1.5 million by Northern Bruce Peninsula Fire Chief Jack Burt at the time.
The fire didn’t damage any structural elements of the building, so after a few months the Hellyer’s began on the road back to operation.
While the store closed, people have driven to Wiarton, Tobermory or Owen Sound to shop for groceries. Several local businesses stocked some grocery items and Golden Dawn Senior Citizen Home ran a 16-seat bus on Thursday mornings to Tobermory Foodland at no charge.
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