Tammy, who continues to work full-time as a senior mortgage specialist with RBC, said that they felt it was a good addition to their other businesses and she liked having a “side gig” while working at the bank.
“I enjoyed stocking the shelves with new products and ones that customers requested,” she said.
In the fall of 2011 when Jamie and Tammy purchased the business from the Teetaerts, there was a bit of preparation to do before everything was said and done. First and foremost, they had to renovate their building to accommodate the new merchandise. In the meantime, they operated out of the previous location for a few months, with Nick Dietrich as their first official employee.
On top of that, as a private owner of a liquor store, there were many rules and regulations for the new owners to learn and follow, set down by Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries. Thankfully, the Teetaerts were there to give them a hand.
“We are grateful for the support Don and Myrna provided as we learned the ropes,” Tammy said.
Once everything was up and running under their roof, manager Shawna Inverarity, Stu Clelland and Dana Kelm joined the team over the years. Familiar, friendly faces and a wide selection of products kept the community coming through the doors. Over 14 years in business there were, of course, a few hiccups, such as this years’ tariff wars and the Manitoba government’s decision to pull US products off the shelves. Olson’s Liquor carried over 60 products from south of the border, so it was a challenge to find suitable replacements, but all in all it was a privilege to provide a useful service to the community.
Tammy said they will miss seeing their customers from day to day, but their goal was for Jamie to be able to fully retire after the sale of the insurance business to Morrison Agencies in October 2024.
“The opportunity for the Co-op to continue this service in Deloraine really made the decision easy,” Tammy said. “It was a long process that started almost a year ago with Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries for the takeover.”
Boundary Co-op is pleased to expand its offerings, as well.
“We are excited to bring water and liquor into our Home Centre location,” said Marketing Manager Cheryl Rushing. “We are adding inventory regularly, and we have quite a large cooler selection. We are glad we can continue to make these products available to our community.”
Tammy has no immediate plans to retire from RBC so she will still be helping community members buy their dream homes and businesses, but now Jamie gets to enjoy retirement.
“We are truly thankful for the community’s support over the years,” said Tammy.
by JACQUIE MAYNARD, Recorder staff