In March, the Hudson’s Bay Company—Canada’s oldest department store—announced that it would be closing most of its remaining locations due to ongoing financial struggles. This marks the end of an era, not just nationally, but also in Vernon, where the HBC has had a presence for well over a century.
The story of the Hudson’s Bay Company in Vernon begins in 1887, when J. Ogden Grahame, an HBC scout, was sent to evaluate the potential of establishing an outlet in the North Okanagan. He visited both Spallumcheen and what was then known to settlers as Priest’s Valley (now Vernon), weighing each location’s merits. In a letter to HBC Assistant Commissioner Thomas R. Smith, Grahame reported that Spallumcheen already had three stores and a competitive retail environment, while Priest’s Valley had two hotels, two stores, and better prospects for transportation, including future CPR steamer service on Okanagan Lake. Grahame recommended Vernon as the more promising site—and that same year, the first Hudson’s Bay Company store opened on 30th (then Barnard) Avenue, near what is now Nature’s Fare.
As Vernon grew, so too did the HBC. In 1893, a new building was constructed next door to the original 1887 store, replacing the earlier structure. Nearly two decades later, in 1912, a grand new store was built at 3201 30th Avenue. The Vernon News described the building as “imposing and beautiful,” noting that “between Winnipeg and the Coast, there is not another business establishment upon which more expense and trouble has been expended to make it thoroughly up-to-date.” The store featured a cash carrier system for quick transactions, a tea room with daily service from 3 to 5 p.m., and a ladies’ restroom complete with writing desks—a welcomed luxury for weary shoppers.
The store housed a wide variety of departments, including dry goods, novelties, clothing, groceries, housewares, and even wine and liquor. Its façade was adorned with the company crest bearing the Latin motto Pro Pelle Cutem—loosely translated as “For the pelts we risk our skins,” a nod to the HBC’s fur trading roots. That crest is now part of the Vernon Museum’s collection.
In 1975, the company relocated once again, this time to the newly opened Village Green Mall, marking the fourth and final HBC location in Vernon. With the store’s closure fifty years later, the long and storied history of the Hudson’s Bay Company in the community has come to a close.
A newly completed display in the Vernon Archives highlights the legacy of the HBC and is available for viewing during the museum’s open hours.
Archives Manager, Gwyneth Evans