Our Story of a Grocery Store for Paisley
Paisley freshmart opened on June 27, 2014 and welcomed customers into an existing 25 year old building with a complete new look, after 12 months without a village grocery store, and, three of those months in an extensive renovation. The residents of Paisley were once again able to have fresh meat from the in-store butcher shop, fresh baking from the in-store bakery, meals-to-go, fresh produce, and an association with Loblaws to carry Presidents Choice and No Name products.
The owners, Rob and Gail Fullerton are local residents who combined their skills and community concern to re-open the store after it abruptly closed its doors in June 2013.
Store Owners: Robert and Gail
We are excited to come to the store every day to work with great employees in each department, manage every aspect of the grocery business and to chat with customers. Gail was raised on a farm north of Burgoyne, and Rob raised on a farm north of Paisley. They married in 1991 and have two daughters, Laura and Faith. After high school Gail was educated in Food Service Management and worked in institutional food services for ten years before staying home to raise our family and operate a very busy 
cake decorating business from home for 16 years. As the community grocery store went into decline in 2012 and 2013, Gail recognized an opportunity to use her skills and ambition to resurrect the current building into something much more efficient and to recreate a new grocery store to meet the needs of the Paisley community.
With Rob’s support, they purchased the building in March 2014 and began an extensive renovation. Months of pre-preparation and research went into deciding what to do and how to do it best. The ultimate goal was ultra-energy efficiency in every aspect of the building. You can read more about that in Our Commitment to the Environment.
Much research also went into how to best supply groceries and what was needed to best provide for the needs of our residents. It was decided to join forces with Loblaws and we established a contract that allows us to purchase groceries, including the President’s Choice and No Name brand products, but also allows us to purchase products from local producers to support the local economy. We are able to remain independently owned and operated and in full control of our store.
Rob has recently retired from Bruce Power as an Emergency Responder. When he is not busy volunteering with the Paisley Fire Department, Paisley Agricultural Society, Masonic Lodge or Presbyterian church, he is helping unload delivery trucks, ensure the store is clean and safe, and greeting customers.
Gail is also Editor of the local Paisley Advocate monthly community newspaper, President of the Paisley Agricultural Society and a member of the Paisley Chamber of Commerce.