Three generations of business in Moncton
RD MacLean Ltd has been selling church supplies for 75 years, with three generations of MacLeans running the show
A walk down the main streets of any community will usually take you past numerous businesses.
Some of them have likely been there for a few years and other spots seem to change as frequently as the seasons.
Claudia MacLean, owner and manager of RD MacLean Co Ltd, and her family have seen a fair number of businesses come and go through their time here in Moncton.
300 seasons worth in fact, as they have recently celebrated their 75th anniversary, a monumental milestone to be sure.
"We're a church supplies store," explains Claudia. "We sell all vestments, church ornaments, all the candles that churches may use that last for several days, holy water buckets - really anything at all that a church may need.
"We also sell religious articles, book and other things that individuals may want to help fill their personal needs."
Located on St. George Street, the business was actually started by Claudia's grandfather.
"My grandfather started it back in the thirties," says Claudia. "He had three brothers who were priests and three sisters who were nuns.
"He himself went to the seminary but left after two years when he realized it wasn't right for him.
"He started off selling pots and pans and saw there was a need for church supplies in the Atlantic provinces. He thought Moncton was quite central, so he set up shop here."
Having been around for so long means that many of RD MacLean's business relationships are well established, but that doesn't mean that the business can run without a lot of hard work.
"There are probably about 500 parishes within the Atlantic provinces and about three hundred of them seem to use us quite regularly," says Claudia.
"We mail things out to our clients monthly and we also have a travelling salesmen that visits them with a truck and helps them with whatever they need.
"We have a mature market, so we have our clientele and a lot of the entrepreneurial work has been done. We're constantly trying to find ways to get new business.
"A lot of what I do is maintaining the existing relationships while trying to find new products and new ways to sell to the parishes, such as using a website and putting out a catalogue."
Travel time often involves business as well, such as visiting the National Church Goods Association in Chicago or checking out gift shows in Montreal. One very memorable trip took place in Rome.
"I just wanted to set up shop there right away," laughs Claudia. "Knowing where you are and the clientele there was pretty amazing."
All joking aside, Claudia recognizes the benefits of owning and running her family's business here in Moncton.
"The community has been very supportive of our business over the years," says Claudia. "I think any community needs some kind of spiritual pillar, just to know that we're here.
"We've gone through 75 years with lots of ups and downs and we've enjoyed it, so I'd like to think we'll be here for a long while to come."
More Business
Search Articles
More CE Network Sites & Partners:
