The Little Tire Store That Grew
The fragrant smell of Christmas tree-shaped car deodorizers always makes me think of two important events in my life: Taking a much-anticipated drive in my dad’s first completely new car–a Ford Thunderbird convertible–and shopping with him at our local Canadian Tire store.
Back then, men didn’t "shop", they just "picked things up." I remember we would end up in line at the checkout counter where we’d come face to face with the store’s last-ditch effort to show us the things we were forgetting to pick up. The counter-top display usually included masking tape, flashlights, batteries, twine and a pretty good selection of green car deodorizers. I, of course, would do my best to remind Dad of his need for these "essentials" and it wasn’t long before the T-bird smelled like a pine tree again....