Newspaper ad The Independent, February 8, 1940, page 2

223 Main Street


The Safeway building was once on the corner of main and Third West. Throughout the 1920's a bandstand occupied this corner. This was moved to the 3rd Ave Park after Safeway bought the lot around 1929. The excavation of this site began in September of 1929. On this lot a new building with unique architectural design was created. The new building was 80 x 50 with sloping roof, turrets and double brick walls. Research states that this building is one of two or three original Safeway buildings left in Saskatchewan.

In 1932 a modern rest room was added to the Safeway. The rest room included easy chairs and a writing desk. Safeway continued to operate out of this building, until Harry Spector, who operated the golden rule department store out of the building, purchased it in 1943.

In 1962 Biggar became the center of a Medical dispute. At that time a group of local people organized the Biggar and District Citizens Medicine Health Association Ltd. In November of that year, Mr. Spector sold the store to the group for a clinic. He then planned and conducted a "selling out sale" which lasted approximately 14 months, with many truckloads of merchandise coming in at night from his friends around the country. After the group became agitated the sale ended. In the spring of 1964 this building became a clinic with up to four doctors, dentist, orthodontist and staff.

A number of doctors were in the clinic until 1983 when the last doctor left, and the building was rented to Neil Manning, who ran a chartered accountant business out of the building. Today a lawyer, an accountant and Saskatchewan Social Services use the facility. So it has housed a variety of businesses. Many stories could be told by the people who worked there, and those who have been served.

Some of the interesting stories are told about the property across the street (now CIBC) - the Lemon Block. In 1920 the block housed the Council Chambers that seated up to 50 people, but in later years it became more famous when Joe Moodrey moved in with his second hand store. There you could buy anything from clothes to dishes. As an aside - Joe kept live geese in the basement. You knew it was geese by the sound and the smell.