In an era of big box and online sales, Town of Carlyle shows how small biz can thrive

CBC's virtual road trip series Land of Living Stories explores the hidden gems across Saskatchewan. Reporter Janani Whitfield hit the road to Carlyle in search of inspiring stories of community spirit.

When Jennifer Sedor pulled into Main Street in Carlyle, Sask., for the first time, she immediately noticed something that set it apart from other towns she had visited: Cars were parked in the middle of the street lined with stores on both sides, giving it a more pedestrian-friendly feel, like something from a downtown scene out of a movie set in the 1950s.

"You can see right down the street. It's a very open-air shopping mall kind of a feel," said Sedor, who fell in love with the town about 190 kilometres southeast of Regina after that visit about 20 years ago. She's now its mayor.

Despite having a population of about 1,500 people, Carlyle supports more than 200 registered businesses, with several turning a brisk trade on a Saturday afternoon — even in the midst of more online competition than ever before.  

So how does a town this size maintain a thriving business community?

The answer lies in all the small things businesses do, Sedor says.

For instance, pop into the local Home Hardware and you'll find your hardware, but also jewelry. A stop at the Second Chance Thrift Boutique reveals everything from old games to DVDs to vintage wedding dresses.

Sedor says she will sometimes go back to her original hometown of Regina or visit Winnipeg, but these aren't the cities where she'll look for gift items: "Ultimately, I'd come back and I'd find what I need in Carlyle every single time." 

However, business owners in the community note that it's the way they treat their customers that keep them coming back, with several saying no one knew better than the original proprietor of King's Department Store on Main Street, the late Ken King, who passed away this December. 

King was "a very unique person because he's just so genuine and caring and so generous," said Jade Moore, who bought the business from King earlier this year. 

"And he built King's to have a fantastic reputation about customer service and how people should be treated, not only customers, but staff as well," she said.

When customers would walk into the department store, King would welcome them by name, Sedor recalled, "so you could walk in there tomorrow and he would remember you 15 years from now."

Moore said that generosity of spirit would extend to taking returns over any time frame as long as price tags were still attached, a practice she's continuing. He would also arrange buses to give out-of-town shoppers a one-of-a-kind experience — a tradition that continues today with shoppers still coming in on buses to visit the town.

Moore says she is striving to fill King's shoes, and those efforts seem to be appreciated by customers who packed the store on a busy Saturday afternoon.