About Us
What’s in a name? To some, not much. To others, it can mean the world. To 3 generations of people from Winnipeg and its surrounding areas, the name Cantor’s means Quality. From the opening of Cantors Quality Meats and Groceries, open in its current location since 1944, quality has been one of the main things that has kept people from all stripes of life coming back to the family run business. Most of all, though, they still stand for Quality. Quality in the meat and fish they sell, quality in the products they bring in, and above all else, quality in the way they treat their customers. This is something that isn’t seen very often anymore, as the world seems to be taken over by the “convenience” stores that pop up on every corner. And it shows. Ask almost anyone in Winnipeg if they know the name Cantor’s, and you will, more often than not, receive a positive response, and usually a story to go with it. This is what 3 generations of the Cantor family have strived to achieve. Quality, not only in their products, but also in their business. This is what is in a name.
History
Beginning not long after they moved to Canada from Europe, Edward Cantor began selling small items (Buttons, Zippers, Thread, etc.) to the farmers surrounding Winnipeg. Soon after, he opened Cantor’s first location on Magnus Avenue close to the Salter Bridge. This was in the days of the barter system, where you could get most of the daily grocery needs met by trading goods or services for what you needed. Joe and Oscar Cantor had been the lifeblood behind Cantor’s Quality Meats and Groceries since their father’s death in 1944. Joe had just returned home from the Navy when his father, Edward, passed on, and Joe, Oscar, and their mother took over the store. Moving the store to its current location, Joe soon found himself working 12 to 16 hour days, 7 days a week. After a short while, though, this was cut back to the store not being open on Sundays or Holidays, so the brothers could spend time with their families. Today, Joe’s son Edward manages the business, and, after watching the trouble their customers have had navigating through the store on a Saturday (their busiest day of the week), made the decision, along with Joe and Oscar, to expand the store. Now, Cantor’s customers have a 13,500 square foot building in which to find all their daily grocery needs.