Arnprior’s Mike Marcel is proprietor of Giant Tiger, but took a long road to get here.
Mike was born in a small railway town near Sault Ste. Marie- and began his working career at age 17 with K-Mart Canada.
The move saw him transferred through the North Country, until the KMart franchise in Canada closed its doors, and from there Mike moved on to Zellers before meeting a similar fate. Mike joined Gian Tiger and brought his skill set to Arnprior in 2005.
Mike Marcel has been involved in community projects in Town from the get-go; he says he has to give you a reason to want to shop at his store.
One of Mike’s favourite initiatives was the popular White Pine Festival- evoking the community’s heritage while providing a weekend of free events in the here and now.
Marcel misses the White Pine Festival, and is keeping plans for its revival on the back burner.
Here is our full conversation.