Ojibway Historical Preservation Society

The Gift Shop

The original ‘shop on the dock’ was built soon after the hotel opened in 1906. A 1913 hotel brochure listed its offerings: “A small store where the tackle box can be replenished, and souvenirs, cigars and fruits purchased.”

A butcher shop, with a separate entrance was added on the east end. Groceries and ice cream cones could be purchased through large windows that faced the water. (Finer gifts, such as English and Scotch woollens, Irish linens and lingerie! could be found in a shop in the base of the hotel’s tower).

 Over the years, as the hotel prospered, walls were bumped out and roofs tacked on. By 1931, the shop fit the footprint we know today. In the 1960’s, when Albert Desmasdon moved his boat repair business into the Station, the grocery store moved to his building at the east end of the dock. The gift shop was then moved from the tower to its current location.

This shop continues to be a focal point of Ojibway life.  A place to catch up with a cottage neighbor, get your morning paper and mail (the post office and postmistress used to be found on the path behind the shop).  If you were fortunate to land a summer job in the gift shop, however, you knew the patchwork roofing and a back wall abutting a slope of granite, meant often water and critters seeped and sneaked through the walls.

In 2017, the restoration of the Gift Shop became a priority for the Ojibway and OHPS Boards. The goal was to maintain the integrity of the historical building while enhancing efficiency for retail shopping. It became clear that a rebuild was necessary. The new design sits on the same footprint and includes details from the original structure - ceiling rafters and windows with shutters that open directly onto the dock.  Blasting of rock, required for the building permit to ensure no further leaking, has serendipitously meant greater interior space. A last minute decision to raise the floor by 14 inches proved providential, given the high water levels this year.

Enormous thanks to architect Peter Ortved, Ian Cook and his team at International, and Rolar Construction who did a beautiful job. And to each and every one who donated to and supported the Gift Shop Restoration – thank you!!