Alice Kenner rose from humble immigrant beginnings to change the face of Toronto's Yonge Street when she founded A&A Books & Records.
The youngest of seven children, she never knew her father, who immigrated to Toronto shortly after her birth and died of influenza. In 1922, Alice, her mother and her sister Rose arrived in Toronto to join her older siblings Julius, Nathan, Aaron and Freda. Her eldest sister, Chia, stayed behind and died in the Holocaust.
Alice was enrolled at King Edward Public School in kindergarten but within a few weeks moved to Grade 2. Math was her specialty, a sign of what was to come. Julius and Nathan had opened two variety stores, one on Bloor Street and one on Yonge Street, called Rain Brothers. Alice worked in Julius's store at 353 Yonge St., which contained a post office. In no time Alice was the postmistress of the second-biggest post office in Toronto.
In 1937, Alice met Mac Kenner at an ice-skating rink. Within five months, they eloped. Mac was a telegrapher, a musician and a talented raconteur. They had one child, June.
Alice never let adversity stand in her way. When Julius suffered a fatal heart attack in 1944, leaving her unemployed, Alice rented 355 1/2 Yonge St., sold books and sundries and moved the post office there. Within a year, 351 Yonge St. came up for sale. With her brother Aaron's help, Alice launched A&A Book Store. Mac wanted to sell records but the major companies wouldn't supply him so he purchased $100 worth of "race records" and sold out within the week. Mac was the front man, Alice the brains. A&A became a Canadian landmark, the first big-box record store in Canada.
In 1971, A&A was sold. Soon Alice and Mac became bored with retirement and decided to sell books at farmers' markets. Mac died in 1988. By 1996, failing eyesight forced Alice to retire again. Still not content, she continued to sell books from her retirement home.
Both family and community were important to Alice. Her nieces and nephews worked at the store, her daughter entered the business and her grandchildren learned sales skills accompanying her to farmers' markets. She and Mac loved taking their grandchildren on holidays to Florida, Israel and Las Vegas. In 2004, Alice's dream was fulfilled with the birth of her great-granddaughter, Mackenzie, named after her beloved Mac. In the short time they had together, they formed an extraordinary bond.
Alice lived her life her way, unaware that she was extraordinary. She shaped not only her family but the city of Toronto. She exemplified the Canadian dream.
June Kenner is Alice's daughter.