Co-op members packed the South Hill Mall parking lot Friday morning for the grand opening of the newest Lake Country Co-op Wine, Spirits, and Beer location.
The new store opened at the site of the old Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority (SLGA) store along Second Avenue and will employ 20 people.
“It’s amazing to see all of our membership and customers come and see this unique experience that we’ve been working tirelessly on,” said Ian Litzenberger, Lake Country Co-op’s director of wine, spirits, and beer. “The team has been working their butts off and crushing it out to get this to be a true, unique experience in the wine, spirts, (and) beer commodity for the whole province.”
Co-op members gathered outside the entrance for the official ribbon cutting by Lake Country Board President Rick Kindrachuk before touring the store.
Litzenberger said the new location gives them more coverage on the west side of the city, while also allowing them to serve tourists and vacationers travelling through Prince Albert on Second Ave.
“With our other two locations covering the southeast corner, and then obviously we’re in the Cornerstone area, having something on this side of the City to serve the west side and that lake traffic was a no-brainer,” Litzenberger said. “Then, being able to work with our landlords with the mall and be able to secure this facility, it just kind of all fell together. It just brought that extra piece to cover the whole City.”
The location has gone through some renovations since its days as an SLGA store. Lake Country Marketing and Community Relations Director Brittney Rosenberg said they wanted a rustic style building that serves as a pitstop for vacationers heading to the lake.
“We had a dream to build a facility that was like a cabin, and what better place than on the way up the north through the Second Avenue highway,” she said.
