© 2026 Christian Cassidy.
Place: Former grocery store / Prairie Vélo
Address: 712 rue Langevin Street (Map)Constructed: 1946
Builder / Architect: Unknown
Chataway’s 1912 Map of Greater Winnipeg. Star is 712 rue du College
The need for the change was likely due to ongoing efforts by Winnipeg and its 12 surrounding municipalities to stamp out duplicate street names that caused confusion for the post office, delivery drivers, and emergency services. Descriptive street names such as College, River, Cathedral, Park and Church were the most troublesome.
In the case of "College", the cities of Winnipeg, St. Boniface and St. James all had a street by that name. Winnipeg won the "College" battle as it kept its College Avenue. St. James changed its College Street to Collegiate Street, and St. Boniface created rue Langevin Street.
Langevin was likely chosen to honour Archbishop Langevin who died in 1915.
As for the name of the cross street, that ended in a stalemate, as Winnipeg and St. Boniface both have a Notre Dame to this day.
The Andersons initially got into the grocery business in 1942 when they took over Pelletier Bros. grocery store at 235 av Notre Dame at Langevin (now demolished). In 1946, they built a new and likely much larger store kitty-corner to the old one at 712 Langevin. There is no information about the architect or builder on file with the city.
Through the 1940s, Thomas is also listed in city street directories as an employee at the “public markets”. This was likely what is now referred to as the former Union Stock Yards on Marion Street as the name of the company that owned the yards was Public Markets Ltd.
A year after it opened, the store became known as Anderson’s Red and White Store.
The American-based Red and White grocery consortium came to Winnipeg in 1927, just ahead of the big American grocery chains Safeway and Piggly Wiggly in 1929. Each Red and White store was independently owned and operated, so they had no consistent size or look. The benefits to signing on with Red and White included pooled advertising dollars and product purchasing power.
Red and White had forty stores in Winnipeg and its suburbs by 1932, most of them were small corner stores in the inner-city. By 1945, there were 84 stores in Winnipeg and more than 200 elsewhere in Manitoba. The chain peaked at just over 1,000 locations across the prairies in the late 1930s.
Aside from its name being listed in various Red and White ads, neither the store nor the Andersons were written about in newspapers of the day. The one exception was the arrest of a St. Boniface youth gang in April 1951 after a string of late-night retail break-ins, including one at Anderson’s Red and White.
The Andersons sold the grocery store in 1951 and took over the Dairy Maid Soda Bar at 190 av Tache Avenue that had previously been run by Leo and Helene Soenen (now demolished). The restaurant was open from lunchtime into the evening and employed a couple of waitresses.
A decade later, they sold the restaurant and Thomas went to work for Anderson Livestock Ltd. It was a new family business run by his brother Robert and located at Thomas’ old workplace at the Union Stock Yards.
Pal's was owned by the Pal family that had been in the local grocery business since 1979. A fifth store on Henderson Highway opened in May 1995, and a sixth on Westminster Avenue in 1998. The Langevin store was dropped from the chain in June 1999.
The store then began a run as Langevin Supermarket until 2012, when it became Timboctou Market, operated by brothers Salim and Dave Traore. It was a Canadian-style convenience store, but stocked some West African products as well.
After nearly 80 years, 712 rue Langevin's run as a neighbourhood grocery store ended.
It was purchased in 2024 by the owners of Prairie Vélo bicycle shop, and the building was extensively renovated. It is a second location that specializes in adaptive cycling and custom mobility products, and is open by appointment.
More:
As for the name of the cross street, that ended in a stalemate, as Winnipeg and St. Boniface both have a Notre Dame to this day.
721 Langevin in 2007, Google Street View
712 Langevin Street has spent most of its 80 years as a neighbourhood grocery store. The initial owners were Thomas and Cecile Anderson, who lived nearby with their four children at 608 rue St. Jean Baptiste.
The Andersons initially got into the grocery business in 1942 when they took over Pelletier Bros. grocery store at 235 av Notre Dame at Langevin (now demolished). In 1946, they built a new and likely much larger store kitty-corner to the old one at 712 Langevin. There is no information about the architect or builder on file with the city.
Through the 1940s, Thomas is also listed in city street directories as an employee at the “public markets”. This was likely what is now referred to as the former Union Stock Yards on Marion Street as the name of the company that owned the yards was Public Markets Ltd.
January 12, 1950, Winnipeg Tribune
A year after it opened, the store became known as Anderson’s Red and White Store.
The American-based Red and White grocery consortium came to Winnipeg in 1927, just ahead of the big American grocery chains Safeway and Piggly Wiggly in 1929. Each Red and White store was independently owned and operated, so they had no consistent size or look. The benefits to signing on with Red and White included pooled advertising dollars and product purchasing power.
Red and White had forty stores in Winnipeg and its suburbs by 1932, most of them were small corner stores in the inner-city. By 1945, there were 84 stores in Winnipeg and more than 200 elsewhere in Manitoba. The chain peaked at just over 1,000 locations across the prairies in the late 1930s.
Aside from its name being listed in various Red and White ads, neither the store nor the Andersons were written about in newspapers of the day. The one exception was the arrest of a St. Boniface youth gang in April 1951 after a string of late-night retail break-ins, including one at Anderson’s Red and White.
Cecil and Thomas Anderson's obituary photos
The Andersons sold the grocery store in 1951 and took over the Dairy Maid Soda Bar at 190 av Tache Avenue that had previously been run by Leo and Helene Soenen (now demolished). The restaurant was open from lunchtime into the evening and employed a couple of waitresses.
A decade later, they sold the restaurant and Thomas went to work for Anderson Livestock Ltd. It was a new family business run by his brother Robert and located at Thomas’ old workplace at the Union Stock Yards.
Thomas Anderson died in 1987. Cecile Anderson (nee van Belleghem) died in 1995.
The next owner of the store was Marcel Marcoux, who was the butcher at Anderson’s Red and White. He renamed it Modern Food Centre and continued under the Red and White banner. He and wife Marie-Jeanne lived in a new brick house nearby at 325 av Notre Dame.
Mrs. Marcoux had a career of her own. Her obituary notes that she had an independent spirit and was “a career woman working for various security firms and investigations.”
Around 1956, the family moved on when Mr. Marcoux took a job as a shipper at Cusson Lumber.
Mr. Marcoux died in 1986. Mrs. Marcoux died in 2025.
In 1957, Ernest Marion Bucko and wife Marie-Therese (nee Clement) of rue 437 St. Jean Baptiste took over the store. The following year, they signed on with the Tom-Boy chain.
Western Grocers / Westfair Foods of Winnipeg, which had purchased the Red and White franchise for Western Canada in the 1920s, also purchased the Western Canadian rights for the St. Louis, Missouri-based Tom-Boy brand in 1953. Like Red and White, Tom-Boys were independently owned stores that pooled their resources for advertising, purchasing, and distribution benefits.
The Red and White name eventually disappeared from Manitoba's retail landscape, and the owers of its larger stores were invited to become a Tom-Boy. The first 15 Winnipeg Tom-Boys opened in 1954.
The Buckos ran the store until about 1962, when Ernest left to become a salesman at N. L. Brosseau Realty.
1956 Red and White banner
The next owner of the store was Marcel Marcoux, who was the butcher at Anderson’s Red and White. He renamed it Modern Food Centre and continued under the Red and White banner. He and wife Marie-Jeanne lived in a new brick house nearby at 325 av Notre Dame.
Mrs. Marcoux had a career of her own. Her obituary notes that she had an independent spirit and was “a career woman working for various security firms and investigations.”
Around 1956, the family moved on when Mr. Marcoux took a job as a shipper at Cusson Lumber.
Mr. Marcoux died in 1986. Mrs. Marcoux died in 2025.
May 8, 1958, Winnipeg Free Press
In 1957, Ernest Marion Bucko and wife Marie-Therese (nee Clement) of rue 437 St. Jean Baptiste took over the store. The following year, they signed on with the Tom-Boy chain.
Western Grocers / Westfair Foods of Winnipeg, which had purchased the Red and White franchise for Western Canada in the 1920s, also purchased the Western Canadian rights for the St. Louis, Missouri-based Tom-Boy brand in 1953. Like Red and White, Tom-Boys were independently owned stores that pooled their resources for advertising, purchasing, and distribution benefits.
The Red and White name eventually disappeared from Manitoba's retail landscape, and the owers of its larger stores were invited to become a Tom-Boy. The first 15 Winnipeg Tom-Boys opened in 1954.
The Buckos ran the store until about 1962, when Ernest left to become a salesman at N. L. Brosseau Realty.
September 18, 1963, Winnipeg Free Press
The store was taken over by Norman R. and Kay Grihault of 1107-595 River Avenue in Winnipeg. Norman ran the store, and Kay was a full-time accountant at Snowdon’s Furniture.
Ernest had experience in the grocery trade. In 1955, he was a clerk at a Shop Easy store, and by 1959 he ran the Tom Boy at 194 Tache Avenue.
The Tom-Boy affiliation of 712 Langevin disappeared in 1965 when the store became Therrien’s Superette Grocery, run by Celeste Therrien, who lived at 11 Burning Bush Bay.
In 1983, it became Food Town Grocery operated by George Gugins.
Ernest had experience in the grocery trade. In 1955, he was a clerk at a Shop Easy store, and by 1959 he ran the Tom Boy at 194 Tache Avenue.
The Tom-Boy affiliation of 712 Langevin disappeared in 1965 when the store became Therrien’s Superette Grocery, run by Celeste Therrien, who lived at 11 Burning Bush Bay.
In 1983, it became Food Town Grocery operated by George Gugins.
January 12, 1994, Winnipeg Free Press
The store became the fourth in the Pal’s Supermarket chain in January 1994 and was managed by H.P. Singh.
Pal's was owned by the Pal family that had been in the local grocery business since 1979. A fifth store on Henderson Highway opened in May 1995, and a sixth on Westminster Avenue in 1998. The Langevin store was dropped from the chain in June 1999.
The store then began a run as Langevin Supermarket until 2012, when it became Timboctou Market, operated by brothers Salim and Dave Traore. It was a Canadian-style convenience store, but stocked some West African products as well.
It was purchased in 2024 by the owners of Prairie Vélo bicycle shop, and the building was extensively renovated. It is a second location that specializes in adaptive cycling and custom mobility products, and is open by appointment.
More:
Prairie Vélo ouvre une boutique à Saint-Boniface - La Liberté
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