“It seemed to me the motel rooms and beer store would be well received and fit in well in the space here. It would be good for the community and help bring tourists.”
The name is based on the Unrau business Parkside Construction.
There are four motel rooms as a part of the development, with two on the west side facing the highway and two more on the south side. In order to operate a beer vendor in Manitoba, motel rooms must be offered. As the rooms are brand new, everything in them is fresh for the public.
The vendor itself will be retail style, where patrons can walk in and look at their product. Unrau said their initial plans are to have a large selection at Parkside. There will be all of the traditional domestic brands on any list. As well there will be a selection of craft beer and other options like coolers and seltzer. Unrau feels variety is the key.
“The vendor we think we want for the area is one with a large number of options,” he explained. “We want to have a lot available.”
James Gray will be managing Parkside, and Unrau said there are other full time positions as well. He added they have not yet completely solidified the hours, but they will be operating seven days a week, with hours likely extended on weekends and in the summer.
The motel front desk will be in the beer store. As Unrau explained, a lot of motels are going to a more online or by the phone booking, where they can text the front desk if they need anything, like cleaning. This makes for convenience for visitors and staff.
The Parkside Construction crew started working on the building last spring and as they spent most of their time on the new Boissevain aquatic centre, it was a project they completed in between. Right now, they are ordering product and test running the point of sale system. Once these details are taken care of, opening will be right around the corner.
Despite the activity already taking place in the old Red Coat building, Unrau said there is still 800-900 square feet available for another venture inside. It is getting filled up, with the Parkside Inn soon ready to contribute to the community.
“I think this is a business that can be enjoyed and utilized by locals as well as the people who have discovered our park (Turtle Mountain Provincial). Everyone can utilize what we have going on here.”
by PAUL RAYNER, Recorder staff