Roberts Store and Wharf

The community of Woody Point, located on the west coast of Newfoundland, is home to Roberts Store.  The fisheries building was built circa 1922 after a devastating fire consumed much of the waterfront.  The store was built for John William Roberts and was used as a storage house for herring nets, boats and supplies.  The wharf and premises were later used for fishing boats operated for several years by his sons.

Situated overhanging the water this two storey building was home to several business interests.  In 1951 John Roberts set up a small grocery store in the building and he operated the business until his death in 1953.  A year later his son operated a convenience store from there for a year, and in 1955 another Roberts son, William L. (Uncle Bill) began operating a convenience store, snack bar and teenage hangout from the site.  It is Uncle Bill's legacy that lives on in the town as it was very popular.  While Uncle Bill operated the store on the first floor, John Roberts Jr. continued to use the upstairs loft and attached wharf for his fishing premises.

The long history of the building and its many and varied uses have established it as a cultural icon in Woody Point.  The Fisheries Preservation Program (FHPP) has given yet another life to this special building.  The many years of use, along with the building's siting between the water and the main road resulted in serious deterioration of the structure.  When the Roberts family applied for FHPP the building needed the foundation replaced, the roof reshingled, clapboard replaced, windows replaced and general stabilization of the structure. 

The restoration was a success and the building has received a new lease on life, revealing to the town and tourists alike the unadorned beauty of the fisheries building. It is still used for gear storage, and the premises are alive and well during the fishing seasons.