The General Store in Drumheller just got a whole lot more caffeinated.

Starting this Fall, the General Store began offering specialty coffees and teas as well as snacks as a cafe.

The store, which used to be located in the John Deer Dealership, moved to its current location of the historic Eaton catalogue home about a year ago. 

The home was ordered from the Timothy Eaton catalogue in 1919 by Peter Murray. The house package was shipped by railcar to Drumheller and Peter used a horse and wagon to haul it to the homestead which is northwest of Drumheller. The family moved into the home in 1921.

Owner of the store Leanne Madsen and her two staff, Pam Hartman and Angie Klassen, are able to carry more unique items and give their guests the opportunity to experience a bit of Drumheller’s past. 

She said she would often drive by the home and loved the look of it. She asked if she could move her store into it and allow for visitors to take tours.

“We have lots of people who want to see tours. What we want people to do is just relax and reflect and remember when. I have had a lot of people come in here and everybody says remember when. ‘I remember my grandma use to have linoleum.’ Or they will say ‘ oh I remember these small staircases’ or ‘I remember a whole bunch of us fitting into one bed.’ The idea is to get people to relax in everyday life.”

The store will be having a grand opening on Thursday, October 29 and will offer special discounts, door prizes, free brewed coffee all day and free samples of decadent treats. They have adjusted their hours, Madsen said, to allow for those people on their way to work to stop in and grab a coffee. The store will now be open Monday to Friday 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday 10 am. to 4 p.m. 

The hardware has been handed out for the 2015 Business Excellence Awards. The gala, which took place on Thursday, October 22, had just under 100 people join the Drumheller and District Chamber of Commerce (DDCC) staff in celebrating businesses in Drumheller and how they contribute to the community. 

The awards were presented in six categories. First up was the Arts, Culture and Community award which went to Western GM Drumheller. Honorable mentions went to Dry Canyon Collectables and the Dinosaur Half Marathon. 

The second award presented was the Diversity and Leadership award. It went to Drumheller McDonalds with runners up of Reality Bytes and Pizza Hut. Prior to the intermission the Most Promising New Business award was presented to Ivy’s Awesome Kitchen and Bistro. Runners up included Tech-Rex Canada and Pizza Hut. 

The intermission featured the musical entertainment of Me and the Mrs. from Rosebud before the remaining three awards were presented. 

Winner of the Small Business of the Year award was Bold Efexx Hair Shop with honorable mentions to Dry Canyon Collectables and R&J Flowers. The Large Business of the Year award was given to John Shoff and his staff at Reality Bytes. The runners up included Western GM Drumheller and Yavis Family Restaurant. 

The final award of the night was presented for Business Professional of the Year. John Shoff won the award with runners up being Jason Blanke and Diana Hanik. 

DDCC President Landon Bosch presented the awards. 

Office and Chamber Services Coordinator for the DDCC said the chamber is happy with how the awards gala went this year. 

“We had just under 100 people join us in recognizing some really great businesses and people,” she said. 

“It’s a great feeling to see all the support and enthusiasm that comes from the community when we hold this event, and we believe that it is a great way to celebrate Small Business Week in the Drumheller area,” she told The Mail. 

“We would like to thank our event sponsors, our Awards Selection committee and other volunteers, our musical entertainment for the evening, Me & the Mrs., Double D Catering for an excellent meal, and the staff at the Badlands Community Facility for all their help. Congratulations again to all of the winners and finalists, we’re lucky to have you in our community,” she finished.