For the past 40 years, Avis Brownlee and her son, Brent, have been at the helm of Brownlee’s Metro in Perth.
Brownlee’s Metro leadership came to an end as they handed over the keys on April 22, to a new franchise owner, Charlene Cadieux.
“It’s been a very hard decision to make,” Avis said on Thursday, April 19 from their suite of offices that overlook the grocery store on Wilson Street. “So many great memories. We’re all like one big family.”
Avis and her husband, Ron, started the business in 1978. They worked hard, looking for business opportunities in the food industry from a young age. They both came from a farming background, and knowing hard work was something that they were lucky enough to be born into, Avis said.
“We both knew how to work,” she said. “Coming from the farm we both worked hours and hours and hours. When we didn’t have the business, we were never idle on the weekends.”
On weekends, before the grocery business came along, they would buy houses, and flip them to resell.
Original source: https://www.insideottawavalley.com