For Fredericton’s Francophones

In September, Robert Chainé opened Choix Franco, a tiny store in the Centre communautaire Sainte-Anne which sells greeting cards in French, because he could not find any since he moved to Fredericton in 2016.

Chainé, from Campbelton, New Brunswick, worked most of his life in the business world. He ran a cosmetics business for 15 years which was buying from producers and selling to drug stores in New Brunswick and Quebec. For the next 15 years, he sold hardware products in the two same provinces.

A few years ago, the company fired Chainé and other veteran sellers to hire younger workers. Chainé, who was living in Quebec, then moved to Fredericton to be closer to his wife, a teacher’s assistant at École Sainte-Anne.

He has four children from his first marriage and was looking to buy them wish cards in French.

But, there were not any. He asked for explanations to two store managers.

“There’s 50 feet of English cards. Is it possible to have two feet of cards in French? There’s a military base with about 2,000 Quebeckers. That’s not counting all the other francophones spread across the region,” said Chainé.

The managers were not interested.

Chainé felt so enraged that he boycotted one of the two stores, from which he was buying frequently, and decided to put together a store to sell wish cards.

After finding out that there was a demand for cards in French in the capital, he started looking for a place. Chainé said that he did not want to go downtown or in a mall, because it was too expensive, and he thought that francophones would not make the trip.

He asked the Centre communautaire Sainte-Anne, the heart of the francophone community, if it had a room he could rent. Chainé settled on a closet-size room beside the theater. But, the centre could move the store next year if it is making profits.

Chainé set aside a share of his personal savings to start his business.

He then pitched his idea to the CBDC, Community Business Development Corporation. Chainé submitted his project entirely in French to the English board and received $14,000.

“It’s not much but I’ll take it,” said Chainé, who added that his store can hold more than $8,000 worth of cards and gifts.

Most of the gifts are made by local French artisans. He wants to help them sell their products in majority-anglophone Fredericton.

A few weeks after opening the store, Chainé thought he had made a mistake. Very few customers were coming.

In the following weeks, more customers shopped at the little store as they became aware of it. Chainé advertised through Facebook, while the community centre, through its monthly publication L’Info-Lien, and the French schools helped to spread the word.

Chainé also began to utilize his proximity to the theater. The centre, which owns the theater, organizes several shows per month and leases it as well.

One workshop on cannabis drew more than 300 people, and many bought at the store.

“The government could do one like this every month, I’d be happy,” said Chainé, who kept his store open during the intermission.

With the holidays approaching, he said that sales should increase with his store selling two must-haves for Christmas: cards and gifts.

Chainé fears that sales will drop this summer. The Café d’Ici, which is in the same building, will close for the season, there will be fewer activities in the theater, and the schools will be closed. Chainé said that he will not open on the weekends, and he will likely cut his weekday hours.

In January, he will try to limit his potential losses by approaching tourism offices to advertise his store, and by buying Acadian flags, which he said are also difficult to find in Fredericton, to become a go-to for Acadians in the capital.

Despite a potential slump ahead, Chainé is still dreaming big. He wants to open other stores like this one in areas with a large French population but with very few services in French. Chainé said that he could look anywhere in the Atlantic provinces.

Chainé, who could turn his business into a franchise, said that opening a little store like this would only be a $15,000 investment, so many retired seniors and young adults could afford it. In fact, a man already approached him.

Chainé’s wife told him that since he will start receiving his pension next year, he will not need to expand his business.

“I don’t care if I have fun,” said Chainé, who ironically sells retirement cards.

He is the first to open a card and gift store in the community centre, and he said that he is here to stay as long as francophones buy from him.