SHEGUIANDAH—Ryan McNabb and his partner Alana Everson and friends were kept hopping throughout the day during the grand opening of Fort Sheg Bargain Surplus. Mr. McNabb is the owner of Sudbury’s Canadian Liquidators North Inc. and for the past 15 years he has been working in the liquidation industry but purchased the building known as Fort Sheg four years ago.
“I remember Fort Sheg as a kid, even it wasn’t Fort Sheg, people called it that,” he said, going on to note his deep connections to Manitoulin. “My godmother Joanne Wade still lives in Sheguiandah, I have been coming here ever since I was a baby.”
“People have been asking me what I was going to do with this place ever since I bought it,” said Mr. McNabb. “I collect antiques and memorabilia; I was looking for a place to park them.”
Mr. McNabb said that Sudbury has been good to him, but that he “has always loved the Island, so here I am—I am rebooting Fort Sheg.”
The business will be selling liquidation groceries, name brand clothing and bedding and a host of other items, as well as hosting a rebirth of the Manitoulin Flee (sic) Market with a 3,000-square foot section dedicated to selling second-hand material that will be familiar to any of that former Flee Market business customers.
“It gives people something to do on the Island,” he said. “Fort Sheg has always been a destination for people on the Island, so here we are, and we are now doing it.”
“So, starting this upcoming week we will be open Wednesday to Saturday, 10 am to 5 pm, right to November 1,” said Mr. McNabb. “Come winter hours we will probably dial it back to four days a week.” The businessman said that decision will be a work in progress. “We will see how it goes.”
Mr. McNabb could be forgiven for being a bit breathless throughout The Expositor interview, he had not only just spent the entire day manning the cash in a very busy store filled with bargain hunting shoppers, but topped his day off with a high-energy free performance as drummer with Sudbury’s popular tribute band the Bluez Brotherz Showband and Revue (if you missed the show at Fort Sheg, you can catch them next week at Sudbury’s Trevi Restaurant on Lasalle Boulevard).
With members Vic Theriault, Don Thibert, Ryan ‘The Hammer’ McNabb, Daniel Blair and Maurice Richard Brunet pounding out the blues standards the band had the audience dancing in the streets.
“Yes, we do grand openings,” laughed Mr. Theriault, who said the band were open to playing more shows on Manitoulin, “but not for free,” he added with a grin.
With the recent loss of Barney’s Bargain Barn from Little Current, Fort Sheg Bargain Surplus will be a much-needed addition to the Island’s business mix. The business is located at 9685 Highway 6 South in Sheguiandah, just a few miles/kilometres from Little Current.
