Handy Andy Associate store was located on Marine Drive in Clarenville, and sold camping and fishing gear, bikes, and automotive parts. But I think the biggest draw there was entertainment.
It was always a favorite spot to go to look at new fishing rods and reels, as well as tackle. I believe Eric Cooper and I bought our first Williams spinners there, and boy were they awesome, I still think they were the best spinner ever made, even better than the traditional red devil!
And I can’t count how many headlights I had to buy there for that old Chevette that used to burn through them like crazy. Brake pads, and lots of other standard auto parts were always on hand. A couple racks of bikes would greet you when you walked in, and all the accessories, pumps, tubes, tires. And camping gear nearby, tents, sleeping bags, the works. It was a small store, but seemed to have everything you could ever want for outdoors. I think there was even a rack of comics over to one side!
But going in there wasn’t just about shopping, I’m not really sure who owned the place, whether it was Laurel and Hardy, or not. But Stan (Fleming) and Dennis (Strong) were the two major personalities in there, and always made your trip, even if you were just browsing, entertaining. Stan was pretty quiet, but every so often, he’d let out a quip that would leave you in tears, whereas Dennis was outgoing, friendly, and funny as hell, and could always make you laugh and at ease.
The store closed up years ago now, but will live on for me forever as one my favorite memories of Clarenville, and one that helped me get a love of camping and fishing to this day. Not sure if Stan and Dennis are still with us, but they too will in some ways be with me always. Fond memories.
Raised in outport Newfoundland in a town of 65 people, I pursued a post secondary diploma in Information Technology right out of High School.
I’ve always been a geek at heart, but yet I love the rural life I grew up with. Fishing, hunting, camping and the great outdoors are still loves of mine, even if I don’t pursue them as often as I once did. Sports were always a big part of our lives, and I played many (badly) and loved them all.
