Around 1921, Clarence E. Imeson, Marion Prentiss, and Marion鈥檚 stepbrother (Frank Ramsden) established C.E. Imeson & Co., General Merchants. The business, located on the north side of Highway 16 in 亚洲天堂 Lake near the present site of the Royal Bank of Canada鈥檚 parking lot, carried everything from candy to men鈥檚 formal wear. The three men even had a tailor visit regularly so that clients could have their suits custom fitted.

According to Mack Prentiss, Marion鈥檚 son, Clarence was initially supposed to run the store and 鈥渕ake a fortune鈥� for the partners. The arrangement proved less than satisfactory, though, so Marion took over the operation and managed it with Ramsden鈥檚 help.

The store was a popular one. Residents came from miles around to shop at C.E. Imeson & Co., including local indigenous people, who became some of the store鈥檚 best customers.

鈥�(They) brought pack horses to take their supplies home,鈥� Mack recalled. 鈥淭he first time they came, they just stood around and wouldn鈥檛 buy. Dad took a jar of candy and passed it around. After that, we had all their trade.鈥�

The store flourished, in part because of Marion鈥檚 friendliness. Mack said his father鈥檚 approach to inventory management likely played a part in its success.

鈥淒ad had a lot of dead stock, bolts of cloth, men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 clothes, etc., so once he had an auction sale with them. Held an item up, got (someone) to bid a nickel. Sold.鈥�

The C.E. Imeson general store remained a fixture in 亚洲天堂 Lake鈥檚 downtown corridor for five years. All three men were active in the community, particularly the store鈥檚 namesake. Clarence was elected president of the 亚洲天堂 Lake Citizens Association in 1921, and was appointed to village council in 1923.

Clarence did not retain his seat during the 1924 election, but later that year became the village鈥檚 first fire chief. He was still serving in that capacity when fire swept through the downtown core on March 18, 1924. Clarence and others turned out to fight the blaze, but had to resort to throwing buckets of snow on the flames because the department鈥檚 primary water source, Andy Ruddy鈥檚 well, went dry. By the time the fire burnt itself out later in the day, only a handful of buildings were still standing along the 亚洲天堂 Lake鈥檚 crooked main street, among them the C.E. Imeson store and the offices of the Royal Bank of Canada.

Clarence resigned as fire chief in October 1925. His replacement, Andy Anderson (a partner in the Beckstead & Kerr garage) had the job for less than a year when a second catastrophic fire broke out.

The Prentiss family lived upstairs in the Imeson store. At 3:30 a.m. on July 28, 1926, Marion awoke to find his bedroom full of smoke. He ran out of the building and tried to ring the town鈥檚 new fire bell, but the pull cord broke in his hand on the first yank.

Marion鈥檚 subsequent cries of alarm woke up local resident Bill McKenna, who in turn roused Fire Chief Anderson. By the time volunteer firefighters arrived with the village鈥檚 solitary chemical engine, the C.E. Imeson building was engulfed in flames.

鈥淢om was in Seattle, and Dad saved very few personal items,鈥� Mack recalled years after the fire. 鈥淗e threw his violin out of the upstairs window, with very little damage. Grabbed armfuls of Mom鈥檚 clothes, (but) the skirts fell out and were burned. Mom had a lot of blouses only.鈥�

The store burnt to the ground, taking with it all of the stock and most of the Prentiss family鈥檚 possessions. Only partially insured, It was never rebuilt.

漏 2021 Michael Riis-Christianson and the Lakes District Museum SocietyAround 1921, Clarence E. Imeson,