Centre d'Escomptes Star

“We’re one of the few family places that have stuck around,” says Millie Staszower-Pearson, whose father and uncle founded Centre Star in 1965, which she now runs with her cousin Marty. “I’d credit it to great balance. We give people what they want, at quality where they don’t have to come back too often, and a price where they can afford to come back whenever they want!”

That ethic of offering the best value to its customers, regardless of brand, style or sourcing foreign and domestic, has led to persistent customer loyalty in an urban community bound to change in both culture and taste. Five decades of that change have come and gone, and yet Centre Star remains, and Millie and Marty’s balanced philosophy comes through not only in the service offered to her customers, but in the passage of time itself. “We’ve weathered our fair share of challenges, and despite everything we’re still here. I think going from generation to generation is integral to that persistence - we’ve witnessed the best strategy over a long passage of time, so when you shop with us, you know what’s lasted for others will work for you.”