Lisk's Bakery & Grocery Store

The story of E. A. Lisk & Sons is one of perseverance through repeated setbacks, and of a business that became woven into daily life in Eganville.

E. A. Lisk first opened a small bakery and grocery in 1907, located in the Reinke Block. By 1911 he had expanded, acquiring a second store on the bridge where he launched a fancy goods and novelty shop combined with an ice cream parlour. Just one week after opening, disaster struck when the great 1911 Eganville fire destroyed the store and all its stock.

Undeterred, Lisk rebuilt and continued operating there until 1923, when he sold the business to Mrs. Dan McGregor. That same year, he purchased another property at College Green and John Street from Georgina Gourley and enlarged the building. In 1930, with the installation of a new oven, the bake shop moved from the Reinke Block to this new location.

Fate intervened again on February 8, 1944, when fire destroyed the premises. Once more, Lisk rebuilt, reopening by August of the same year. Three years later, he expanded again, adding a modern bakeshop equipped with the latest machinery. With three delivery trucks on the road, Lisk’s bakery products reached households across Renfrew County. Their slogan, “Lisk’s on the label means quality on the table,” became a familiar promise.

The growing business diversified too. The earlier premises were rearranged to house departments for men’s and women’s clothing, household furnishings, and even a cafeteria. In 1947, the firm was incorporated as E. A. Lisk & Sons Ltd., with three generations active in the business, including Lisk’s son Wesley and grandson Ted.

For decades, Lisk’s was one of Eganville’s most significant employers and an anchor in the community. Its loss in the devastating fire of 1970 was felt deeply, as the business had stood not just as a store, but as a symbol of resilience, innovation, and local pride.