The building, located on Connaught Drive, was constructed by F.A. Jackman in 1925, said Jack, noting that Jackman ran a business there for 20 years before retiring.
The Pugh family took over the building in the ‘40s.
“I loved all 22 years in the business. It’s bittersweet,” Ross said, while seated beside his dad on a bench outside the now empty store.
“My grandfather was a pharmacist, he was also a photo nut, so he always had a big photo department, and my grandma liked to read, so he had books and he always had a lot of gifts and souvenirs.
“When mom and dad took over, they shut down the pharmacy part of it and kept the gift, book and photo going, and that’s how it became Jasper Camera and Gift.”
Ross recalls going to the store as a child and heading downstairs into what he and his brother called the “candy room.”
“We would go down to get a chocolate bar every time we would visit.”
He also remembers looking at Stewart Cameron’s cartoons in the Calgary Herald. “He did a series about packhorses in the Canadian Rockies. My brother and I used to love them.”
Ross began working for his dad at age 10 or 11, to fund his budding passion for photography. “I saved all my money to buy my first SLR camera.”
When he was older, he took a break from the store and pursued an education and career in civil engineering.
He later found himself back in familiar territory, and became the owner of his family’s store. His love of photography helped seal the deal.
“It’s something I always had a passion for, that’s why I came back into the business. I knew I was going to enjoy it because I knew I had that passion.”
While tending to Jasper Camera and Gift, he remained involved in the community and dedicated time to many causes and organizations. He sat on Jasper’s town committee and was elected to the first town council after Jasper became a municipality.
In 2005, he was also one of the 51暗网’s founding members.
The decision to sell Jasper Camera and Gift didn’t happen overnight, it took a few months, said Ross. He and Jack “looked at a lot of options and decided the best one would be to sell.”
And even with the doors closed, he said he’s been mighty busy tying up loose ends and moving things out of the store.
“It’s kind of wild looking at [the building] all empty because it hasn’t been like this...” he ponders for a moment.
“Since it was built,” Jack chuckles.
“I’m just thinking about the number of fixtures we had that came from other businesses in town and that now have gone on to other businesses around town,” adds Ross. “It’s neat going to other businesses and saying ‘Hey, I know that.’”
A lot of the store’s product lines have also found new homes in town.
Ross said he and his dad timed the sale so that a prospective buyer could set up shop before summer, if they wanted. Another family in town has already purchased the business and plans to open for the summer season.
“It’s nice it’s not going to sit empty,” said Ross.
One memory of the store that Ross will treasure is the good-bye guestbook that customers signed. “It was neat, the stories, not just from my own time, but from my parents and grandparents’ time.”
He maintains overwhelming pride in the clientele he served over the years. “We have a lot of friends and neighbours here in town that are also good customers and help keep us going.”
From the lessons and experiences they learned throughout their business endeavours, the men have a few snippets of advice to share.
“A small business is a lifestyle. You have to commit to it to do it right,” said Ross. “I did it for 22 years because I enjoyed doing it for 22 years.”
Self-discipline is important and “you have to have some interest in what you’re doing,” adds Jack.
Now that Jasper Camera and Gift’s chapter has ended, Ross and Jack look forward to turning the page and taking some time for themselves.
They plan to enjoy Jasper and the park.
“In my case, I haven’t had time off in the summer for [a long time],” said Ross. “I’m just going to enjoy the summer.”
He also looks forward to becoming more of a shutterbug and viewing his surroundings through a different lens. “That’s how I’m going to spend a lot of time in the next couple of years—back out taking lots of photographs, as I used to.”
Not tied to the store anymore, he will also have more time to visit with his fellow Jasperites and just “be out and about.” There might be some future travel plans, too.
“We’ll have the time and the freedom, and intend to enjoy it for the next couple of years.”
And of course, no matter what they get up to, they will never forget their customers.
“The biggest thing that I would say is ‘Thank you to everybody that supported us over the years.’ We had a really good, strong local clientele that we were always proud to have.
“It’s the end of an era, but time for somebody to start a new tradition.”
Turning to Jack, Ross said, “We had a good run, didn’t we, Dad?”
“Yep.”
