Family Owned for 80 Years: McHardy Vacuum

Meet Graham Stuart, the President of McHardy Vacuum! Located at 1004 Dundas Street, this family business has been supplying London with high quality vacuums for nearly 80 years. Since they opened, McHardy Vacuum has been a mainstay in the Old East Village. “It’s a great space to be and Old East is exploding with some great businesses,” Stuart says. 

McHardy Vacuum was founded by James Clifford McHardy in 1946 after he was fired from door-to-door vacuum sales after suggesting selling more than one brand of vacuum. After he passed, Phillip McHardy, Graham’s father-in-law, took over the business. “When I came aboard 20 years ago, he was kind of teetering on if we stay here,” he says. “But what we ended up deciding to do was to stay here, because there was so much potential. We felt that the long-term vision for OEV would match us and what we wanted.” He adds that while there are struggles in the area, thanks to the area's affordable retail space, it’s a great launchpad for a business to get started. 

In addition to sales, McHardy Vacuum can also fix your vacuum if it's ever in need of repairs. Stuart is proud to say that they have a busy service department that helps keep Londoner’s vacuums working well. “Sometimes you have a $400 to $800 vacuum and if something’s not working, we can fix that for an affordable price,” he says. “It'll last you another so many years, versus having to throw it out, go to the landfill, and buy a new one.” Certain components can also wear out, Stuart says, causing them to not clean as well. “When they clean poorly, you get more dirt in your home, and no one wants that.”

As a family business, McHardy Vacuum is tied to OEV and its community, having consistently good reviews from suppliers and customers alike. We can confirm - while waiting in the lobby, a couple came all the way from St. Thomas came in looking to get their vacuum fixed. “The London community has really been a great support to us, they come to us when there are other retail options,” Stuart says. “We try to help our customers make the best decision possible for them based on their budgets. And we always try to have a good, better and best option.” 

As one of the oldest businesses in Old East Village, McHardy Vacuum has seen the area through its ups and downs. According to Stuart, one constant is the support received from other business owners and the BIA. “Any question I had, any support we needed. I could throw a message on Facebook, they'd answer,” he says. “There were grant programs that I wouldn’t have known about if I wasn’t a part of the BIA. They were able to support us, and then I was able to share that information with other business owners.”

McHardy Vacuum is open Monday to Friday from 8:30 am to 5:30 pm, and from 9 am to 3 pm on Saturday. 

📍 1004 Dundas Street

☎️ (519) 451-6700

🌐 https://www.mchardyvac.com/