Dream Teams on Front Street

In 1948, Carl and Irene Roluf opened a small store at 16 Victoria Avenue and turned a life long passion for photography into a full-time career by selling cameras. In just one year they expanded into selling records and film. In 1950, they moved South on Front Street to the former location of Al’s Diner, around 219-221 Front Street. Ten years  later in 1961 they moved North again just a few doors up the street to 227 Front Street, where the store stands today. The store was divided in half with The Nut House in front and a bowling alley in the back. In 1962 a fire broke out, resulting in the need to demolish the third floor and extensively renovate the second floor. Irene loved The Nut House and when it burnt she visited the new Nut House twice a week at lunch for her small bag of nuts.

Photographs were only processed in black and white when Carl and Irene opened the business and the popular brownie box cameras could be purchased for $5.99, but they were soon replaced in the late 1950’s by the polaroid camera.

In the 1960s, a very successful travel agency and a 400 box Canada Post outlet was added. In 1986 they invested in a one hour photo lab for developing photos right on the premises. A selection of musical instruments and a sound booth for listening to records  enabled Carl and Irene to combine their passion for travel, photography and music into a lifelong business and fun adventure.

Carl enjoyed participating in publicity stunts and entertaining shoppers as they strolled along Front Street. He once hired a man to sit atop a pole outside his store just to see how long he could sit there. The crowd loved it and store employees would pour the pole sitter a drink and send it back up to him by rope.

He also built a model Eiffel Tower out of tooth picks, displayed it in the window and held a contest to guess how many toothpicks it took to build. The grand prize was a record player and a selection of records.

Carl was a very sociable guy and would stand outside the door of his store, hands in his pockets and greet people as they walked by and that’s where I first met him. It was 1955 and this impressionable 12 year old (almost a teenager) was hopelessly in love with Elvis Presley!

Carl was standing inside his store, an Elvis song came on the radio and he was watching my best friend Jacky and I swooning and crooning over our teenage fantasy.  When the song was over Carl took two records off the shelf, put them in a bag and handed the bag to Jacky and I. He said ‘you two enjoyed that song a lot more than I ever will, so here you go’. Needless to say, he had two very loyal customers, fans and new best friends – for life! The music side of the business was phased out by 1994 due to decline in record sales

Irene Roluf Drew learned photography at the age of two from her father, who was an avid photographer. She met Carl when she worked at a Belleville chain store record counter. She was a savvy business woman, a strong voice for our community and the press referred to her as Main Street’s Top Businesswoman. A favourite expression of hers regarding a key to her success was ‘Its the love of doing what you love to do – and then doing more.’

Carl Roluf was an avid shutterbug, music buff, stamp collector and traveller. Sadly, he passed away in 1970 and Irene, with the help of her family, continued to run the store until she retired in 1994, selling her business to Andy and Gita Vadhera.

Andy and Gita Vadhera, current owners of Roluf’s Travel, immigrated from India to Canada in 1980 and in 2004 began looking for a downtown business to purchase.

Andy had been operating a textile business for 10 years where he sold socks to Toronto businesses and he and Gita decided to move back to India.They lasted for one month in India before the heat got to be too much for them, returned to Toronto and started searching for a business on the internet. He came across an ad for Rolufs and as soon as he stepped inside the store he decided to buy it including the business, inventory and the building! When Irene turned over the keys to Andy, she stated that he was the hardest working man she has ever met, his wife was very familiar with the travel industry and retail, and that she was leaving her 56-year-old building in good hands.

Andy and Gita have been operating Rolufs for the past 17 years and offer a wide variety of items including luggage, cameras, travel clothing, gifts, jewellery, handbags and greeting cards. They have been very involved in the community and the downtown Belleville core.

The bright blue Roluf’s sign has been a beacon of light in the downtown district for decades of shopping adventures. Drop by and say hello to Gita and Andy when you get a chance!

Notes from Carl Roluf’s son, Rick, on some of his Dad’s business ventures:

He tried operating a candy shop at a different location called Rana’s Candy Shop. He moved it into Roluf’s to make money, but had to get rid of it. It had a problem with mice.

Televisions were getting popular.  The new ones had a built in stereo record player…he tried selling them, but they didn’t sell fast enough for his liking.

At the East end of Belleville, before Point Anne, he started a mini golf course for a short time, but it lost money.

He even tried his hand at selling pocket books at the store for awhile but too many got stolen from him.

My Dad was an animal lover. Sometimes I would walk into the store and there would be a cat curled up on the counter. It would wander into the store and he would make sure it had food and water, then it would leave.

Images courtesy of Henry Bury and Bill Hunt from The Intelligencer and to Rick Roluf and Carl W Roluf