Title and statement of responsibility area
Title proper
General material designation
Parallel title
Other title information
Title statements of responsibility
Title notes
Level of description
Reference code
Edition area
Edition statement
Edition statement of responsibility
Class of material specific details area
Statement of scale (cartographic)
Statement of projection (cartographic)
Statement of coordinates (cartographic)
Statement of scale (architectural)
Issuing jurisdiction and denomination (philatelic)
Dates of creation area
Date(s)
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1956-1974 (Creation)
- Creator
- Roberts Holmes Limited
Physical description area
Physical description
20 cm of textual records
Publisher's series area
Title proper of publisher's series
Parallel titles of publisher's series
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Numbering within publisher's series
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Archival description area
Name of creator
Administrative history
In 1956, following the death of his uncle, J. Roberts Holmes went into business for himself with his own stationery and book company, Roberts Holmes Ltd. Roberts opened his first store at 258 Dundas Street, London, Ontario, moving to a larger space at 240 Dundas Street in 1962.
Roberts Holmes’ stores emphasized self-service, allowing customers to feel free to browse at their leisure. Merchandise included books and stationery as well as school and office supplies, decorations, and gift wrap. The lower level of the store was devoted to the Paper Book Shop which boasted a selection of 5,000 titles.
In 1974, Holmes sold his business to long-time employee and store manager Betty Lang, who continued to run the business until 1996. Betty Lang purchased 248 Dundas Street in 1978 and moved the book store operation back to its original location. The larger store at 240 Dundas Street remained open, focussing on stationery, school supplies, and other merchandise. Holmes continued to be involved with store operations for several years after his official retirement.
Custodial history
Scope and content
This series contains the business correspondence of J. Roberts Holmes. Letters informing suppliers of the new business and letters to negotiate payment terms predominate.
Notes area
Physical condition
Immediate source of acquisition
Arrangement
The majority of the files in this series were organized in a tabbed alphabetized file folder. These documents have been moved to individual file folders for preservation reasons; the ordering and labelling of the new folders follows the original organizational structure.