St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador -- A family-owned automotive aftermarket business is celebrating its 100th anniversary.
The Colonial Group was founded in 1926 by Gordon Elton, a Scottish immigrant who opened a small garage in St. John’s. In its early years, the business sold vehicles and carried out mechanical repairs, serving a growing motoring population in Newfoundland, which at the time was still an independent dominion.
“We sold cars and did repairs through the 1920s and 1930s,” said Stephen Squires, vice-president of Colonial Auto Parts and A.P.M. Ltd and a great-grandson of Gordon Elton. The business's trajectory was altered by Newfoundland’s joining Canada in 1949. As trade with the rest of the country became easier, the auto parts side of the business expanded rapidly. “Selling auto parts became a part of the business in the 1930s, but took off in the late 1940s and into the 1960s.”
As the company grew, it diversified its operations. “We opened a bodyshop in 1945, a machine shop in 1951 and a radiator shop in 1963,” Squires said. “The change was a gradual process.”
Leadership of the business passed through successive generations of the Elton family. Gordon Elton’s sons, William and Douglas, took over the company, with William later becoming Stephen Squires’ grandfather. Years later, leadership transitioned again to Susan Elton Squires, Gordon Elton’s granddaughter, and her husband Douglas Squires, who is the company’s current president.
Family involvement was not always encouraged. “My grandad never wanted my mother to enter the business because he felt it would be too tough for her,” Squires said. “That didn't work out so well for him -- she proved him wrong.”
Today, Colonial operates through two subsidiaries — Colonial Auto Parts and A.P.M. Limited — and supplies repair shops, fleets and retailers across Atlantic Canada through 20 locations. The company remains based in St. John’s, with its head office and main distribution warehouse still located at the corner of Hamilton Avenue and Shaw Street, where it began nearly a century ago.
