After more than 25 years of being owned by Bill Brown and his family, Leon's Orillia has changed hands.
Lindsay Brooks, her father, Phil Macdonald, and her brother, Matthew Macdonald, rang in the new year by adding the Orillia furniture and appliance store to their Leon's family.
They also own Leon's stores in Collingwood and Owen Sound.
"These are legacy businesses. They don't come up for sale very often," Brooks said of the reason for purchasing the local store.
It could be good news for the staff, too.
"The number of staff will likely increase as we expand and grow," Brooks predicted. "We don't want to come in and eliminate staff."
She said the goal is finding and keeping "quality people."
"From what I've seen so far, these are some of the best," she said of the Orillia staff.
It might seem risky to take on additional stores in the era of online shopping, but Brooks is confident
"Our online presence with Leon's supports the bricks-and-mortar part of our company," she said, noting even if shoppers order online, many need Leon's staff to deliver the goods.
Her family opened the Collingwood Leon's in 2010 and bought the Owen Sound store in 2015. They had been working on a deal with the Browns for more than a year.
"We're very excited to be a part of the Orillia community," Brooks said.
