Friday, November 15, 2013

RIDDELL FISHING TACKLE & APPL © Linda Dawn Hammond / IndyFoto

Riddell_20060326_36xsmRiddellonBernard_20060325_01xsmRiddellonBernard_20060325_02smRiddellonBernard_20060325_03xsmRiddellonBernard_20060325_06xMEDRiddellonBernard_20060325_08SM
Riddell_20060326_01SMRiddell_20060326_03SMRiddell_20060326_05SMRiddell_20060326_06xSMRiddell_20060326_08xSMRiddell_20060326_09sm
Riddell_20060326_10smRiddell_20060326_11xsmRiddell_20060326_13xsmRiddell_20060326_15xsmRiddell_20060326_16smRiddell_20060326_18xsm
Riddell_20060326_19xsmRiddell_20060326_20xSMRiddell_20060326_21xsmRiddell_20060326_24smRiddell_20060326_26xSMRiddell_20060326_27sm

RIDDELL FISHING TACKLE & APPL 55 Bernard street, Montreal, Quebec . George Riddell © Linda Dawn Hammond / IndyFoto.com March 25, 2006.
I returned the next day and found him in!
George, who died June 2010, owned this fishing lure store for 48 years. He made over 8000 unique lures by hand, from found materials such as pop cans. He was somewhat of a recluse but after years of being intrigued by his storefront, one day I decided to knock on the door. It turns out that he was also very interested in photography. George lived in the store, where I photographed him surrounded by his eclectic collection of lures, masks and fishing memorabilia. He gave me 3 of them, which I hang on my tree and will always treasure as a memory of that day. I was no longer living in Montreal and had a feeling we would never meet again... RIP, George. Thank-you for being so generous with your time. You were a unique and special individual, and places like this world you created are becoming so rare.


Articles on Riddell
celebratecanada.wordpress.com/tag/rue-bernard/

mileendings.blogspot.ca/2010/10/gone-fishing.html
A few days after the closing-out sale, the store windows stood empty except for a few pieces of wood. A new piece of paper taped to the window said: "Uncle George Riddell, 1928-2010. Thanks for the memories. Gone Fishing."