from a Map of Fort Langley 1925-1927 by Bill Marr, 2000
Originally the IGA site was the location of Coulter and Berry’s General Store, built by David Moss Coulter and John W. Berry in about 1897-1898. The men owned another store in Murrayville, and while Berry ran the Murrayville store, Coulter ran the one in Fort Langley.
While this store was being built, Coulter rented the old Hudson Bay Co. store for a few months, and he and his family lived above and behind it as well. When this new store was completed, Coulter and his family moved into the Drummond House (next door where Frontier Hardware is) for a couple of years before their house was built just south of the store.
A small post office was later built between the store and the house. Coulter became the postmaster in charge of 3 different post offices (all in the same building) during the time when the village name changed from Langley, to Langley Fort, and then Fort Langley.
The Coulter and Berry partnership dissolved in 1916. Coulter sold the store in about 1923, but remained the postmaster until 1926.
The subsequent store owner was, F. C. Jones, who became the Postmaster on September 17, 1926. The store burned down in the late 1920s but F. C. Jones rebuilt it and remained the Postmaster until April 15, 1944.
Louis Poelvoorde took over the store in or before 1944, and his wife, Mrs. J. M. Poelvoorde became the Postmaster and remained from May 1, 1944 until December 22, 1947.
In 1969 a 2,880 square foot warehouse was built on the site which became the home for Tommy’s Lucky Dollar Store.
This development was followed by a 7,268 square foot retail store built in 1970. The IGA opened in 1975.
(from Township of Langley Centennial Museum records)
Lee's Market 