What it’s like to run a family business

JAge 11, Grade 6 North Hatley Elementary

.B. Lebarons is a family-run grocery store located in North Hatley and has been run by the same family for three generations. Lebarons was founded by Jean Lebaron in 1888. The store was later passed down to Roger Lebaron in 1950. Later Joey Lebaron bought it from Roger in 1981 after working there since 1975. Joey then sold it to her son Elliot in 2021.

About the different owners

Jean started Lebarons when he was only 19 and ran it for 62 years. He was Mayor of North Hatley for 20 years and his wife was president of the White Cross. When Roger first bought the store from his dad, he had little interest in running it and left a man called Charlie Hanars in charge when he went to fight in World War II, which is where he met his wife Leslie who was working as a medic. After that, he and Leslie went to live in Britain for a year and then came back to run Lebarons.

Originally Joey did not have any interest in buying the store after living in Montreal for five years, but when she came for a visit to see her parents, she decided she wanted to work there. But she did not want to live with her parents and asked her dad if she could live in the upstairs apartment. The only problem was there was already someone living there so Roger decided to give them a one-year lease.

During that year Joey moved back to Montreal. When the year was over, she came back to work in the store and then bought it after working there for six years. While running Lebarons, Joey got the front porch built and turned the attic into a floor that sells mainly cooking supplies still present to this day. When she fixed the ceiling, she decided she might as well add an extension to the second floor.

About running the store, Joey says, "Fun with ups and down, but never boring." After working there for 42 years Joey sold it to her son Elliot who had been working/living in China for seven years prior.

About the building

The original store was wood and is now a brick building; it also used to have no front porch. It was also the first library, gas station and telephone office

in North Hatley.

There was originally no upstairs and when it was built, you had to go around to get to it. Now there are stairs in the middle aisle of the store leading up to the cooking store.