Saturday's front page feature by the Citizen's Mark Nielsen on the upcoming closure of the Nukko Lake Store was so bittersweet.
Owned and operated by two generations of the same family over 63 years, the store will close for the final time in two-and-a-half weeks. Richard and Clara Allen, both 72, will be devoting their time to enjoying their acreage and spending extra time with their grandchildren.
Richard has worked at the store since he was nine years old. When his parents retired in 1979, he took over the business and Clara, who had moved to the area to teach at the local school, joined him. Together, they raised their three children in the store and two of their grandchildren have also been working there, learning how to count money and help customers.
In Nukko Lake, the general store is the real-life version of Corner Gas, a gathering place loaded with warm and character. Along with the basic groceries, fuel, smokes and booze, the store has boasted an extensive hardware section as well as some unique items and a whole section of stuffed trophy animals, heads and furs.
And in the back, three recliners for coffee and gossip.
The Allens have certainly earned their well-wishes for a long and healthy retirement after their decades of success supporting themselves and their community.
Sadly, there is no one in the wings to take over and keep operating the store. Now area residents will have to drive another 20 minutes just to reach the Hart mall and another 15 minutes after that just to reach the stores in the Bowl.
That leaves Nukko Lake School, a church and a community hall as the last remaining gathering places in the neighbourhood.
The hall and the church will depend on the support of area residents to remain sustainable. The school's long-term future is also unclear. The 40-year-old building is in good shape, one of the best schools in the area, according to the long-range facilities plan prepared for School District 57 earlier this year. The same report, however, points out that the school is barely half full, with about 115 kids in a school built for more than 200. By 2024, the school is expected to have just 107 kids.
In the short term, the only thing likely saving Nukko Lake School from closing is that two of the three other feeder elementary schools to Kelly Road Secondary - Glenview and Hart Highlands - are already over capacity and Heather Park is nearly 90 per cent full.
There was a time when all of the rural areas surrounding Prince George were self-sustaining and proud of it. Along with their own stores, churches, halls and schools, they often had their own sports facilities (remember the curling rink in Salmon Valley?) and other amenities, often home-based businesses, such as auto and house repair, taxidermy, haircuts and so on.
Those days are mostly over and the end of the Nukko Lake Store is simply another reminder of the changing times. A combination of choice, price, convenience and accessibility makes shopping "in town" make sense, especially due to the large growth in the city's retail sector over the past 20 years. The added diversity of restaurants and entertainment makes the lights of the city more luring to rural dwellers than they ever have.
There will always be full-time residents in places like Nukko Lake because the isolation, the the quiet and the few people are all part of the appeal. There will be fewer of this new generation and they will likely not miss places like the general store or the local hall and they might not have gone to them even if there were such features. They will choose to live in places like Nukko Lake to not only get away from the city but from all other people. They will resent traffic, the sight of hunters and hikers and the sounds of snowmobiles, boats and ATVs, except for their own.
These types of people are forming a decreasing minority, in Canada and the world, as humans become more urbanized and congregate in increasing numbers in cities large and small. People not just vacationing but actually living in places like Nukko Lake has now become like taking a step back in time.
Unfortunately, time has run out for the Nukko Lake Store.
