C. Strouss and Company
C. Strouss and Company is where old and new, traditional and modern cooking and eating collide. Barkerville visitors will find inspired cookery inside the walls of this purveyor of fine foods and cookware, where the experience is as important as the products it sells.
Guests can choose from a selection of deli meats, sausage and asiago cheese, C. Strouss and Company’s world famous porridge (made on site daily), plus a diverse variety of exquisite loose-leaf teas and coffees by the cup or the pound. There’s also an eclectic and exciting inventory of cast iron cookware and decor, collector spoons and more for your kitchen and food-preparation delight.
Meet William, Robert & Douglas Rummel
Meet William, Robert & Douglas Rummel
Brothers William, Robert and Douglas Rummel started C. Strouss and Company along with the adjacent Mason and Daly General Merchants in 1980. In 1996 they added A. McPherson WatchMaker and Jeweller in the same location. Barkerville's original Strouss store was located in the same spot. The building would change ownership several times. including a short stint by the Hudson's Bay Company, before being purchased by Joe Mason and John Daly who established the original Mason and Daly store.
The building lasted several decades before burning down in the 1960's. A new building was constructed to replace it and modeled after the old one. The Rummels worked hard to replicate the insides as well in order to provide their guests with the most authentic shopping experience possible. They still pride themselves on offering a true taste of what it would have been like to shop in the days of the gold rush era. They consider it a part of their job to educate Barkerville visitors in a memorable and engaging way about Barkerville's colourful history through authentic interaction.
William, Robert and Douglas work seven days per week during Barkerville's busy tourist season. This busy-ness is mitigated by the fact that Wells is such a laid-back, slow-paced community. It offers a peace and solitude that is welcome when they are not at work. It is also a community of people who are friendly, caring and willing to take time for each other, another aspect of Wells living that the Rummels are grateful for.
