History sparse for old barbershop building

Little is written in history books about the building that once housed Bill’s Barbershop in Black Diamond in the ’50s, but local residents say the almost century-old structure served many purposes. Now housing repurposed furniture, knickknacks, pictures, household items and fashion accessories as Diamond in the Rough, the building at 104 Centre Ave. West served as a barbershop, realty office, catering company, bakery, flower shop, bank and clothing store, say residents. According to Town of Black Diamond archives, it was originally built in Royalites, a once-thriving village about 10 kilometres south of Black Diamond. Dubbed “Little Chicago,” Royalties was an industry town established by Royalite Oil Co. for the oilfield workers and their families. Once the oil reserves were depleted, the company began dismantling and relocating corporate buildings as businesses closed and families moved away. Many of the buildings were removed from their foundations, loaded onto flatbed trucks and relocated to other communities. The building was moved from the Royalites in the 1920s. Jes Navntoft, who now owns it, believes it went to Millarville before being moved to Black Diamond in the 1940s. Navntoft, who moved to Canada from Denmark in 1990, bought the building in 1994. “I bought it for my wife at the time because she was bored, not happy, and for me to be self employed, it’s always been the only way to happiness,” he said. Navntoft said he renovated the building into a catering kitchen where his wife - a cook, dietician and kitchen manager - began a catering business. The business didn’t last long as it didn’t have the effect Navntoft hoped it would, but it became useful to the community with groups using it for various cooking and baking needs. “Different days of the week people came in and cooked and baked,” he said. “I think it was called 104.” As for the earlier history, Navntoft said there’s evidence it was a bank as a vault had been added. He also found the sign for Bill’s Barbershop under the siding during one of his renovation projects. It was owned and operated by Bill Myres, according to Town records. When Navntoft bought the building more than 20 years ago, he said it was filled with storage and mostly garbage and had been owned by the operators of Flare Pizza. Navntoft has renovated it three times. The first time he renovated the inside. Later, the Main Street Program provided funds for him to put the 1930s boom style on the front. Tracey Fleury, who’s been operating Diamond in the Rough with Mandy Christensen for a year and a half, said it’s a great building in a great location. “We’re seen from the traffic lights on three sides,” she said. “We just love it. It had been Bali Bling for seven years when we took it over.” Fleury said the building gets a lot of positive compliments from visitors. “People always come and say, ‘This is so cute,”’ she said. “It’s 15 by 19 feet and has a tiny stock room with a washroom. The floor is a bit leany. Someone added on a little piece and I don’t think it was done correctly. It’s starting to sink.”   Bill Myer, proprieter of Bill’s Barbershop, busies himself with a young customer in a photograph that is marked August 1954.