A century worth of stories at Gray Creek Store

As Gray Creek Store celebrates 100 years in business, proprietor Tom Lymbery reflects on the store's rich past

1 of 6Tom Lymbery has been proprietor at the Gray Creek Store for a good chunk of its 100-year past. — Kristen Mitchell photo

2 of 6Tom Lymbery likes to challenge his guests to think of an item the store has never sold. — Kristen Mitchell photo

3 of 6A new building will hold lumber as the store moves into a new product. — Kristen Mitchell photo

4 of 6The store's sign pays tribute to an era past. — Kristen Mitchell photo

5 of 6Despite being semi-retired, Tom Lymbery continues to be an active part of Gray Creek community and his business. — Kristen Mitchell photo

6 of 6Three generations of Lymberys stand in front of the old building that Arthur Lymbery had originally opened. — Photo courtesy Gray Creek Store

‹ ›

…

Sit down to chat with Tom Lymbery and you’ll feel like you’ve opened an encyclopedia on Kootenay Lake. Tom and his wife, Sharon, are owners of Gray Creek Store, which is celebrating its centennial this year. The store has served the region from the time of the sternwheelers through the creation of the highways and railroad. Tom’s father, Arthur, moved from England and ended up opening a store in 1913.

“All of us had to start working in the store as soon as we were 12 (years old),” said Tom, who was born in 1928. “Of course, we had to start picking cherries before that. I think we got 25 cents a crate. We started doing that when we were about seven.”

A true resident of Gray Creek, Tom left as a teenager to attend boarding school at the coast for four years, but then he came back to the area he calls the best in the world. Gray Creek has grown a lot, he said. Today the beautiful scenery brings visitors from around the globe. Still, he said the biggest challenge for the business was the creation of the Salmo-Creston Pass in 1963, meaning Greyhound bus service no longer passes by the store and truck traffic is lighter.

Changing with the times

Gray Creek Store has been successful by adapting through the years. Tom likes to challenge visitors to think of something that hasn’t been sold at his store at one point. By excelling at niche products, and doing deliveries, Gray Creek Store has been able to overcome some of the challenges of being removed from a bigger town. One product that the store does brisk business in is wood- and pellet-burning stoves. Chainsaws have been another major seller in the past, with the store carrying up to eight different brands and providing training to customers.

In its centennial year, Gray Creek Store is taking another big step with the opening of a lumberyard. The store has long sold smaller materials such as plumbing parts, but is looking forward to the expansion. A brand new warehouse connects to the three-storey timber-frame building that was opened in 1979. A new coffee and smoothie bar in the store also attests to its owners' willingness to embrace change.

“Product knowledge is one of the most important things today,” said Tom. “We’re sending our new employees out and we’re bringing in reps from companies to give some of our newest employees some training. That’s very important. My son is excellent at finding the right workers—we have a very dedicated staff.”

Keeping involved

Gray Creek Store now has a store manager, but Tom and Sharon are still an active part of the landscape and both worked at the store until recently. Although he doesn’t sell anymore, Tom said he's proud of the countless sales he’s accomplished over the years. His son, Dave, has become an important part of running the store and in the summer his two teenage grandsons also enjoy working at Gray Creek. Four generations of Lymberys have served customers over the last century.

Tom recently received a deserved nod from the province with a community service award. He’s been integral to the growth of the east shore of Kootenay Lake. He has many projects on the go and also serves with the local chamber of commerce and Lions Club, and has helped with the Trans Canada Trail project. He also looks after Gray Creek Hall, that log schoolhouse he attended many years ago.

Today he’s passionate about reading and history and is in the process of publishing a two-volume memoir entitled Tom’s Gray Creek: A Kootenay Lake Memoir. His past experience in sales and campground management along with his varied interests and involvement come down to one thing. He is a people person who loves hearing interesting stories.

“A customer becomes a friend and they keep coming back to you and that’s very much a business concern,” said Tom. “That’s one of the things I missed about not selling insurance (at the store) anymore. I had more people coming in to see me all the time.”