Burstall Fuels: It’s much more than a gas station!
By Joan Janzen
You never know what you’ll find tucked away in a small town, and Burstall Fuels is one of those places. Don’t let the name fool you because the store’s “Collectibles, Antiques & Eats” tagline provides a more accurate description of what you’ll find inside.
Pam and Darrell Fitterer purchased the store in December 2020 and transformed the place in short order, opening in February 2021. It’s the only place to fuel up in the area, with the closest available gas station located at Leader. Besides pay at the pumps for gas and diesel, they provide automobile necessities and even keep a battery on hand for the occasional cold spell.
According to Pam, the two antique gas pumps are the heart of the place and make a statement about the couple’s love of antiques. She recalled a 94-year-old man who visited the store, who explained how the pumps worked and shared stories and memories. “Tears were running down his face,” she said.
There’s a wide assortment of antiques for customers to look at and purchase. “They’re more like statement pieces,” Pam explained. “Pieces are always coming and going. We do really well with tourists because we’re so close to the US border. I have a lot of repeat customers; I have people from BC that stop every time they come through. And we have a pretty good reach on social media.”
Besides antiques, the store stocks a lot of handmade, homemade, and all-natural consignment items. “Everything in my store is about supporting the little guy,” she said. “It’s more about them than it is about us.”
Everything from jewellery, art, giftware, crafts, hot sauce, tea and freshly roasted coffee line their shelves. The products come from all over Saskatchewan, and customers have told Pam and Darrel that taking it all in can be a little overwhelming.
“Coffee is a big seller, and we’re the only retailer that has unpasteurized honey in all kinds of flavours. We sold 1700 jars of honey the first year we opened,” she said. “You can come in and taste the honey flavours; it’s just fun.” But Pam makes sure there’s much more to taste than just honey and good coffee; that’s where the “eats” come into play.
Momma’s Kitchen stocks ready-to-go, heat & eat lasagna, Shepard’s pie, chili, beef stew and homemade soups. “My soups are all made with bone broth, and I cook everything from scratch. Everything’s done old school,” she explained. She also bakes bread and buns and has sandwiches when there’s increased traffic in town.
“We have hunters who come to the area, and the infrastructure that goes on at the gas plant brings people into town,” Pam said. Which means she cooks for the workers at the plant and provides food that goes out to the job sites. She also does catering for small and large groups and cooks for bike rallies and car club events.
You may think the store couldn’t possibly have room for anything else, but since the local grocery store closed, they also keep some basic necessities on hand. “I stock some dairy, basic necessities and frozen meats from Kindersley Packers,” Pam said.
Pam and Darrell also love being involved in fundraising projects. “We work closely with BCAS in Oyen. Coming from the city, I didn’t realize the impact the ag society has on the community as a whole because they cover such a large area,” she said.
As you can see, Burstall Fuels is much more than a gas station! I will have to stop in and enjoy a ‘good cup of coffee’ and browse next time I’m driving by.