Postcard Memories is a weekly series of historic postcard views and photos submitted by Marcel Rousseau.
Some were previously published by the Orillia Museum of Art and History and in the book Postcard Memories Orillia.
Pringle’s General Store and Garage was located on the south-east corner of the 9th Line, (now Menoke Beach Road) and Highway 11 at Ardtrea.
The general store was part of an old frame house with a stone foundation. Rumour has it that the building was once a hotel with a brass rail and spittoon. In 1949, Carman Pringle built a garage beside the general store.
With the help of his son Gerry, they manufactured large diamond-faced cement blocks and constructed a solid concrete garage to do automotive repairs and sell gas.
A wood-framed building housing a restaurant was built next to the garage shortly after.
The store was run by Carman’s wife, Grace, and the garage was leased to Ed Eastcott so Carmen could concentrate on the restaurant and gas pump sales.
Homemade pies became a specialty and many customers would make the drive from town to sample and purchase Pringle's pies.The business continued to operate as a grocery store, restaurant and garage until sold in 1966.
