When owner Debbie Rix approached Tracey Pritchard—a former caterer—with the concept of creating a community-centred general store, Tracey immediately hopped on board. After living in Roncesvalles—an area known for its independent green grocers—she was surprised by the absence of good quality corner stores in the Trinity-Bellwoods community. Debbie had recently acquired a corner lot near the park and wanted to create a shop that would serve as a throwback to the corner stores she remembered growing up. Together, they rounded up some of their favourite local goods and The Lucky Penny was born.
More than just a place to grab a coffee, Debbie’s goal was to fully immerse herself in the community. She contracted neighbours to help rebuild the dilapidated house that originally sat on the lot and sought out suggestions from friends that lived nearby on what the store should carry. Her hope was to not only to provide people with high quality produce and groceries but also to support other local businesses and farmers. “We wanted to create a new type of convenience store where you could get a lot of things under one roof while still supporting your local community,” says Debbie.
The name Lucky Penny was inspired by an old tuck shop Debbie used to visit in cottage country where kids could go with their loose change and buy pretty much everything—from candy and comic books to eggs and fishing bait. Since opening in January of 2014, Lucky Penny has continued to modify its selection based on the needs of the community and has quickly become a local staple. “There’s nothing better than coming out on the patio on a Sunday morning and knowing everyone,” says Debbie of the shop’s regulars.
