Do you remember getting candy at Mrs. Arizono’s store in the 60’s or 70’s? If so, you would still recognize the voice of this remarkable little lady. I was brought back to my elementary school years when I spoke with her. I still recall her patience with my younger siblings and I as we would stand on our tiptoes and check out the candy treats on the top shelf of her glass candy display. Twenty five cents went a long way in the candy store in the 70’s.

During our phone interview over the summer, I was able to learn a few things about her and the store. Her family lived on a farm in the Coalhurst area from 1950 to 1957. In the fall of 1957, her uncle bought the store from Mr. and Mrs. Willis. “You couldn’t make much money from a penny candy store,” recalls Mrs. Arizono. She recalls when bread was six cents a loaf and butter was 35 cents a pound. The store also sold kerosene, which she disliked. “I hated selling it because of the smell!” In mid November, sales would drop as people would go to Lethbridge for Christmas shopping and buy their groceries there instead of in Coalhurst. She remembers when Coalhurst was a hamlet of a little over 200 people in the 60’s and 70’s. During this time, her husband built onto the back of the store to have more storage. She loved working in the store. “It was handy for me. I could tend to the garden, mind the store and raise my family.”

In 1977, they moved the store from the corner of main street to what is now the bakery. Mitsy had the store for 32 years from 1959 to 1991. Feel free to add your own special memories of the Coalhurst General Store (more commonly referred to as “Mitsy’s” or “The Candy Store”). Watch for more details about Mrs. Arizono, who recently celebrated her 90th birthday. The video below features Mitsy sharing her impression of the changes that have taken place in Coalhurst over the years. If you have any photos of the inside of the store from this era, we would love to have them.

Another picture slideshow by Smilebox