Depanneur Poirier, at the intersection of the highway and Ch. des Pères-Dominicains, has closed. The last day of business was Thursday 22 but the owners, Janet and Jack Deschenes have been emptying shelves for weeks.

The Deschenes have operated the store for ten years. According to Jack, business, always slow in winter, was further affected by the amount of houses damaged by the flooding last year.

"Once the races stop and the cottages close, by the time October comes, that's it," said Janet. "Without tourism, there's no business."

When their lease for the store came up for renewal, the couple decided to close the business and retire.

"So many people have come in over the past weeks and said how much they will miss us," said Jack. "During the floods, we bent over backwards to help people. We always said 'no credit' but sometimes we did give credit. Some didn't come back but most did. Some people even came to the house if the store was closed to drop off the money."