In The Beginning
Don Smith started Metro Building Supplies in 1969. Our store was located at 163 St. Peters Road in part of the old Ellis Brothers Shopping Centre in the general area of what is now Razzy’s Roadhouse.
Here is one of our first Guardian ads dating back about forty years ago. As you can see from the ad, we were carrying Pella windows back then and today we are Canada’s oldest Pella window dealer.
Pictured in the ad:
Top left: Keir Jones, Gordon Coles, Sandy Munroe, Frank MacDonald
Top right: .?. Crawford, Jim King, Wilfred Nicholson.
Bottom: Don Smith
In 1974 we purchased a new GMC boom truck, one of the first to serve Island customers. Here Bruce MacLeod unloads Gyproc from a rail car.
Here we are again off loading gyproc from a rail car in Charlottetown with one of our fork lifts. And Yes, there were trains on PEI then!
Our boom truck delivers shingles in Keppoch in the Summer of 1977. Gordon Griffin on the roof and Bruce MacLeod on the boom.
Here is another newspaper ad from 1978 advertising our first major expansion. We doubled our showroom space with the addition of a new window and door showroom.
Our new window showroom on the left of the building.
Ad from 1978
In 1979 we purchased another new boom truck that is seen here making a delivery.
TIME TO MOVE!
By 1986 we outgrew our St. Peter’s road location and moved across the street to a new, custom built facility at 27 Brackley Point Road.
Pictured here is Don Smith and Premier Joe Ghiz at our official opening on April 28th, 1987.
Don’s mother cuts the ribbon with Premier Ghiz looking on.
Our new store
Our store featured one of the first Pella Sunrooms in the Maritimes
Don Smith
Staff on opening day: Hubert Murnaghan, Kier Jones, Ray Blanchard, Lowell Watts
Jeremy Lea, Wade Gallant, Heather Voutour, Keir Jones, Andrew Boudreault
For many years we sponsored Dale Holmes and his very successful “Castle Car” on the Pro Stock Tour.
Picture of staff taken in February 2001 – Jim Williams, Ken Pound & Wade Gallant
Taken about 2002.
Staff retirement party at the Delta for Gordon Coles and Keir Jones.
Standing:
Eric Bentley, Keir Jones, lauchie Machon, Frank MacDonald, Peter Smith, Gordon Coles, Jim Williams, Wayne Connell, Bruce Macleod, Don Smith, Brian MacKinnon.
Seated:
Heather Voutour, Marge Smith, Sharon Kelly.
TIME TO MOVE – AGAIN!
After 16 years and several expansions to the property we had again outgrown our location
We purchased land at our present location at 25 Riverside Drive on the Charlottetown Bypass.
The existing buildings before demolition and renovations.
Here a excavator makes short work of the old place
Our new building starts to appear.
It was a big job getting everything in place for a Spring 2004 opening.
Part of the full colour tabloid announcing our opening that appeared in the Guardian in June 2004
Official opening, June 2004 with the President of Castle presiding.
A large crowd looks on as speeches are made
Before and after
Our brand new store
New boom truck and new store
One of our new warehouses. We didn’t know how we would ever fill all the space we had.
But within five years we needed more space and purchased a 14,000 sq ft warehouse on the adjoining property.
View from above
Staff Picture 2007
Staff Picture 2008
Staff Picture 2009
EXPANDING AGAIN !
By 2011 we were again short of space and spun off our kitchen and bath departments and also expanded into lighting.
The new Metro Bath & Lighting store opened in the Spring of 2011 and is located just around the corner from our main store at 16 Exhibition Drive.
Here is a view of Metro Bath & Lighting from above
December 22, 2014 Donald A. Smith was presented with the 50 Year Estwing Gold Hammer Award.
Spring 2016 Metro Building Supplies becomes Metro Home Building Centre
