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![\"Mike](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/4528544_web1_BC-grocery.jpeg\")
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Mike Aporius \/ Free Press <\/p>\n
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B.C. Grocery (at 798 Strathcona St.) operated for 42 years under owner Lechman Parboji.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe whole neighbourhood is going to miss him,\u201d Achtemichuk said. \u201cHe was the friendliest gentleman you\u2019d ever want to talk to.\u201d<\/p>\n
B.C. Grocery was there in a pinch when extra milk was needed for dinner, Achtemichuk added.<\/p>\n
Liz Jackimec, a fellow local, found herself running to 798 Strathcona St. when she was short an onion or other produce.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s part of the neighbourhood\u2019s history,\u201d Jackimec said. \u201cEverybody who lives in the neighbourhood, I\u2019m sure, has stepped foot in B.C. Grocery.\u201d<\/p>\n
Parboji bought the corner store business in 1984, when he was 30. He\u2019d been contemplating his career; a friend told him to run a convenience store in the meantime, he said.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s since seen customers\u2019 children and grandchildren grow. He watched traffic boom before Winnipeg Blue Bombers games at the now long-demolished stadium nearby, when people rushed to grab a quick snack.<\/p>\n
The shop offered butcher meats into the 1990s. Parboji\u2019s wife, J.P., was a constant, and his children often lent hands.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want to thank the neighbourhood for supporting us for this long,\u201d Parboji said Wednesday, pausing from packing.<\/p>\n
The COVID-19 pandemic was tough on business, his family said. B.C. Grocery is also near many retailers, including Winnipeg\u2019s largest mall, CF Polo Park.<\/p>\n
Parboji, 72, is retiring.<\/p>\n
Chain retailers, the illegal cigarette trade and rising cost of living have all contributed to a decline in the number of corner stores, said Kenny Shim.<\/p>\n
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He heads the United Korean Canadian Industry Association; it\u2019s lost half its membership over the last 25 years, he said.<\/p>\n
The association counts roughly 3,000 members. At least 70 independent convenience stores in Winnipeg remain part of the group, Shim added.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019ll still be there \u2014 everybody needs it,\u201d Shim said of the industry, adding in Ontario, business has improved because of new alcohol sales.<\/p>\n
Shim said the group is advocating for the federal government to take more action against the illegal cigarette trade.<\/p>\n
gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com<\/p>\n
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Gabrielle Pich\u00e9 Gabrielle Pich\u00e9 reports on business for the Free Press. She interned at the Free Press and worked for its sister outlet, Canstar Community News, before entering the business beat in 2021. Read more about Gabrielle<\/a>.<\/p>\n Every piece of reporting Gabrielle produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print \u2014 part of the Free Press\u2018s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press\u2019s history and mandate<\/a>, and learn how our newsroom operates<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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