An Interpretation

W.W. Arcade: The Ultimate Hardware Store
by Lawrence Herzog

If you talk with anyone who lived in Edmonton in the 50 years starting in 1930, they'll attest that W.W. Arcade was the ultimate hardware store. It's been closed for more than a dozen years but, if I close my eyes and concentrate, I can still find the woody aroma deep in my nostrils and hear the squeak of the floors both underfoot and, if you were in the basement, overhead. I can see the shelves piled high with a thousand knick knacks and hundreds of other items dangling from the ceilings.

The staff always seemed to know where everything was because many of them had been working there for 30 or even 40 years. If you couldn't find it anywhere else, you could find it at W.W. Arcade.

The story of the business began in 1930, when the main level of what is called the Goodridge Block was taken over by Samuel Peter Wilson and a fellow named Welsh. They opened a store called W.W. Sales (for Wilson and Welch) and the legend began. Wilson retired in 1942 and Alex Ainslie, the gentleman who had managed the store, joined with his brothers Bob and Dave and they took over the store. That's when they changed the name to W.W. Arcade.

The place had character and, thankfully it was allowed to endure much longer than many other similar ventures of the 20 th century. There was just one major renovation in 1967 when the east wall was rebuilt, the roof was refinished and the storefront was modified.

But changing shopping patterns brought by bad decisions about downtown signalled an end for an Edmonton institution. In February 1991, after more than 60 years of business at the location, W.W. Arcade closed the doors and the structure fell silent.