The first time I ever walked down Bernard Street O., back in 1993, I had to stop, scratch my head, walk away, return, stare, scratch, and look closer… Riddell was possibly one of the most interesting and confusing places I’d ever had the fortune to stumble upon.

The windows of Riddell contain a befuddling arrangement of objects, with a diversity encompassing 1950’s kitsch, African masks, taxidermied animals, and of course Riddell's raison d’etre fishing tackle and supplies. At the time I didn’t stop to read the clippings posted near the door, and I walked away thinking of the place as an object of neighborhood grandeur and mystery. Over the years I’ve included the storefront on many of my micro-tours of Mile-End, but I’ve always left its mysterious nature intact (by never reading the press clippings).

Today I read the press clippings; the store is owned by George Riddell and has been open since 1950. Riddell himself is an avid fisherman who started fishing in 1937, and the wares of his store (the sinkers, lead weights, and lures) are, and have always been, made by his own hand. From the article clipped from the Gazette (to the right of his door), I learned that he’s made fishing converts of both the owner of Bernard’s Chinese dep (apparently Riddell’s protégé) and the people at the Thai restaurant located on corner of Bernard and St. Urbain.

I must confess I’ve never had the courage to breach an entry. But apparently if I were to do so I’d find Riddell sitting back behind the counter enjoying a cigarette and a beer.

I may now have read the clippings, but Riddell is still a worthwhile tourist destination and place of neighborhood majesty. The original, pre sign law, name of the store was "Riddell Fishing Tackle & Appliances". You can read more about it and him in a Outdoor Canada Interview.