Tom Henihan
Express Staff
The Tractor Pit Convenience Store and More held its grand opening in Girouxville on October 1.
Store owner Misty Hatter, staff and family members were present while Mayor of Girouxville Alain Dion did the honors, cutting the ribbon to mark the official opening.
Misty Hatter, who is originally from Edmonton, moved to Girouxville some years ago and immediately fell in love with the village and the region.
“I moved up here from Edmonton about ten years ago, loved the country, never wanted to move back to Edmonton. I love it here it’s beautiful,” she says. “I love the town, I respect the town and the community.”
Regarding her new business venture, Hatter says she has been taken by surprise at the amount of support and goodwill she has received from the community.
“The support that I have received is tremendous. I have received gifts, cards, flowers and I was not expecting any of that,” she says. “I still have people dropping cards and things off to me so I have tremendous support.”
Hatter opened the store about a week prior to the official grand opening to iron out the glitches and get the staff trained.
While Hatter is the sole proprietor of the store, she says she has a lot of help her from her family and boyfriend and that her father who is retried works with her in the store during the day.
In recognizing the need for a store in Girouxville, Hatter says she worked with many older people in town and had a chance to listen to what people wanted, often while playing cards.
What she heard is that people wished they had a store in the village because they cannot drive to Falher for a lot of things, especially if it is just milk or something small like that.
“The children are also pleased,” she says. “They can now go get their candy and ice cream so they are very happy.”
In the name ‘The Tractor Pit Convenience Store and More,’ the more represents a wide spectrum of items that will reflect what customers require as Hatter recognizes those needs.
Along with groceries, The Tractor Pit Convenience Store also caters to those who need a quick lunch or snack such as coffee, hot dogs, nachos, mini doughnuts, popcorn and hard ice cream.
The store is located in the Girouxville on 49 Avenue at the junction of 50 Street in what was formerly the liquor store. The store is currently operating on winter hours, open from 7am to 10pm Monday to Friday, 8am to 10pm Saturday and 8am to 8pm on Sunday.
For more information check out the store’s Facebook page or call (780) 323-4844.