New owners at Acadia Valley’s longstanding store
By Joan Janzen
Acadia Valley has had a grocery store in their town since 1945. On November 12th of this year Jana Kauppinen re-opened The Store, following decades of faithful service by the Peers family. Brent Peers’ last day in The Store was on October 31st, when customers stopped in to show him their appreciation for his years of service.
The town’s grocery store first moved into Acadia Valley in 1945 when Ted Hall was the first proprietor. Information obtained from the history book ‘Times to Remember’ portrays a vivid picture of the years from the store’s beginning to the present.
The Store in Acadia Valley re-opened on November 12th under the new ownership of Jana Kauppinen. This longstanding business has been operating since 1945 in Acadia Valley.
Ted’s General Store was bought in Youngstown, disassembled and rebuilt in Acadia Valley in 1945. Ted and Pearl Hall operated the business until 1965 when they sold it and moved to Calgary. Employees throughout those years included Alvin Purper, Bert Miller, Amy Galbraith, Emma Gibson, Esther McGee, Cyril Garrett and Bill Peers.
In 1965 Vic and Adeline Wuychuk purchased and operated the business until the winter of 1970. At that time Calgarians, Pat and Bruce Morisset were asked by a local resident if they would be interested in purchasing the store. Pat, who was originally from Acadia Valley, was easily convinced. The couple, along with their two sons, moved to Acadia Valley and took over the store in the summer of 1971, renaming it ‘Valley Foods’.
Pat continued to operate the business after Bruce’s death in 1992, with the help of her son David, until 1996 when she decided to retire from the business. On March 1, 1996, Brent Peers purchased ‘Valley Foods’ and renamed the business ‘Brent’s Family Foods’. After the sale, Pat Morisset returned to Calgary.
Brent also grew up in Acadia Valley, and returned after becoming tired of years of city life in Calgary. After operating the business for ten years, he sold it to his brother Bruce and his wife Carmen, who renamed the business ‘The Store’. After a short absence, Brent returned in 2006 to manage the store for his brother, and continued to do so until October 31, 2024.
Now the new owner, Jana Kauppinen, has stepped up to serve the grocery needs of the rural community of Acadia Valley. The Store has been operating since 1945, and will celebrate their 80th anniversary in 2025.