From: Jennifer Hanson, thenorthbaybay.ca staff
NORTH BAY — Hadrian’s Wall. The Wall of Jericho. The Great Wall of China. The Lakeshore No Frills Cart Wall.
After years or trying to build an impenetrable wall of shopping carts around the Lakeshore Drive No Frills, “cart boys” Marty Edwards and Jacob “Ace” Whinery have finally succeeding in sealing the grocery store off from the world.
“It took us almost four months to find enough carts,” smiles Edwards through the interlocking steel barrier. “But we hunted and found stray ones throughout town to add to our armory.”
“Once we had enough it was just a matter of connecting them,” laughs Whinery. “We’ve been practicing since the spring. At first Marty and I could only get the carts to stretch, like, 20 feet out from the shopping cart return. But eventually we got it so that the carts would block off an entire lane of the parking lot, and then the lane and a spot, then two spots, and so on.”
“It was funny watching people try and get around them. But now the fun is over. We have finally blocked the entire store.”
The Shopping Cart Wall, which spans from the Pet Valu entrance to the Galaxy Cinemas, is made up of some 4 000 shopping carts.
“Nobody gets in, nobody gets out,” grins Edwards. “Let’s see you try to match ten different coupons in the Express Line today, Sharon!”