by PAUL RAYNER

Although one business on Main Street will be missed, the space will not remain empty for long.

On December 23, the Cherry Creek Gallery closed its doors. After three and a half years, proprietor Sharon Waldron decided it was time to move on.

“Actually, since August I knew this was what I wanted to do,” said Waldron, “and since August I knew it was something I wanted to happen soon. I was starting to show some wear and tear.”

The gallery combined the ambiance of an art gallery and boutique with a small restaurant. One of her highlights in running the business came recently. In July of 2006, the gallery hosted Common Ground; an art exhibit made up of 50 pieces from artists in Manitoba and Alberta.

“That was really fun. It would have been nice to see (the gallery) develop into a cultural centre, but it was too much for me on my own. I loved it, and I loved all of the aspects – the food part, the art part. It was a really good fit for me, but it was getting too much.”

Waldron said she has no major plans for the future, and does admit she will miss her business.

“I loved having people come in, and that is what I will really miss.”

She also admits it is fortunate they were able to find someone to lease the space, located by the Romance of the Railway Park, so quickly. Val Hawkes will take possession on January 15. No stranger to Boissevain business, she ran the Dollar Store across the street for a year starting in 2003. She later moved the business over to Souris. Most recently, she has been spending the month of December in the mall on Mill Road running a liquidation store. She will be continuing this in an expanded form in the old Cherry Creek Gallery spot.

“What I’ll be putting in is a liquidation, discount and consignment store,” Hawkes stated, “to try to bring in what people in Boissevain need.”

Hawkes said the idea for this percolated for some time. When she was running the Dollar Store, people would ask her if she would be bringing in clothes. The longer she was there, she explained, the more she saw a need for lower priced, yet high quality family clothing. In fact, at the time she was planning to open up the upstairs for this type of endeavor, which was stopped when the trouble started with the building.

She tried the overall concept out in the mall, and found the response overwhelming. When the Cherry Creek opened up, she felt it was a great opportunity to expand beyond what she was able to offer in the smaller highway setting.

The business will include brand name new clothing for the whole family and furniture at discount prices. Other items will shift as they become available from suppliers and on a liquidation basis.

“It will always change. You can only buy so much and you don’t want things sitting. You want to offer different items.”

Giftware and bedding, the latter being something in great demand, will also be a part of the business. As well, there will be items available on consignment, including some from Homesteader Collectibles.

With the short closure of the Gallery, this leaves the MJ Computers building across the street as the only open storefront on South Railway. Available through Countryland Realty, filling it is important to the Turtle Mountain Community Development Officer Shirley Bell.

“We have looked in the premises,” Bell stated, “to see what is there. It is a beautiful building. It is sad it is not open. Hopefully, it will not be closed too long.”

Bell said there have been a few possibilities they have been looking at, although she declined to elaborate at this time. It is part of their goal to develop more retail in Boissevain.

“As a CDC, we hope to be able to expand the retail in the community, to develop more of what the community needs.”

Hawkes hopes she can help fit that vision. She expects to be open sometime in February in the new location, although she is mum about the name at this point. She appreciates the support she has already received at her present location, and feels it points to a need.

“Things like children’s clothing and bedding are really needed in town,” Hawkes stated, “and there are a lot of seniors’ who can’t get into Brandon for these things. This opportunity came at a great time, and I’m going to run with it.”