Happy Feet at the Museum!
This amusing display fixture was used to advertise the McGregor brand “Happy Foot” line of socks. McGregor Socks is a Canadian hosiery company that was founded in 1928. The cushioned sole line of "Happy Foot" socks was introduced in the late 1930's.
This fixture was used at the Jubilee Dry Goods store (where Bonsor Park is today). The store was owned by the Pitman family. Ernest Frank Bawden Pitman and Mary Jane "Jean" Pitman came to Canada from England in 1912 and settled in Burnaby in 1914 with their four children: Ernest Clifford "Cliff", Dorothy Mabel, Marjorie "Marge" Beatrice, and Gwendolyn "Gwen" Mary.
The family quickly settled in to life in Burnaby. The children attended Kingsway West Elementary and Gwen and her sister Dorothy were also original Burnaby Girl Guides in the 1st Burnaby Troop with leader Amy Leigh.
A salesman by trade, Ernest purchased his first retail store in 1926. Located at McKay and Kingsway, McKay Dry Goods was in business for over three decades. Seeing the growing need for a retail shop in the upcoming Jubilee area of Burnaby, Ernest opened a second store, Jubilee Dry Goods.
The Pitman children worked in the stores after school and on weekends, eventually running the Jubilee Dry Goods store. Gwen Pitman took over managing the Jubilee store when her sister Dorothy got married in 1931. She later owned the store outright and ran it until she retired and the store closed in 1971.
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