Sleepland Plus owners getting ready to retire

Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 24/05/2014 (4155 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

“The key to our survival is reacting to changes and being adaptable. If I kept selling waterbeds, I would have been gone a long time ago.”

— Del Hunter

Ok. Admit it. You had one and you possibly even bought it at Sleepland Plus Home Furnishings! If you haven’t guessed by now, I’m talking about waterbeds. That’s what Del and Linda Hunter, owners of Sleepland Plus, started selling almost 35 years ago when they first opened their doors on 10th Street. They’ve had three different locations since they’ve been in business, and are now at 1250 Richmond Ave.

Hunter said that each decade he has been in business there has been a different product line. Adapting to those changes is part of how they’ve managed to stay in business for so many years.

“Waterbeds were, of course, popular in the ’80s, in the ’90s it was futons and as we moved into the 2000s we got into counter stools and dining room furniture,” Hunter said.

Sleepland Plus currently offers a variety of products, but unfortunately not for much longer. Sadly, Del and Linda have announced that they will be retiring, likely mid-summer. That means a local business that has been a staple in our community since 1979 will be closing its doors.

“I’ve always enjoyed going to work and I enjoyed my time spent here. I’ll miss the people, I like to talk to people and we’ve seen thousands and thousands of customers, over the years, of course and some of them have become friends,” Hunter said.

While Del has mixed emotions about retiring, what he won’t miss is having to unload a truck full of mattresses at 8 o’clock at night in the middle of February!

Sleepland Plus carries mattresses (including custom order/special size), bedding, bunk beds, platform beds, counter stools, dining room suites and more. Visit them online at sleeplandplus.ca.

Special treasures are waiting for you

Laurie Kovach has been working extra hard this last month. She’s been cleaning, dusting, sorting, unpacking and displaying her latest treasures at Carriage House Antiques & Collectibles. Going into her 18th year in business, she’s looking forward to another season and showcasing her wares.

“We have all kinds of antiques, unique furniture, jewelry, glassware, collectibles for stars like Elvis and Marilyn Monroe and so much more,” Kovach said. “We spent a good deal of time this past winter looking for wonderful, new treasures that we think people will love.”

Laurie and her husband Steve are also owners of the Johnston Terminal Antique Mall at The Forks in Winnipeg. They’ve had this store for 13 years.

“We don’t have to travel far, we try to buy local as much as we can and so far that’s worked for us,” Kovach said.

Carriage House Antiques & Collectibles is located on Highway 10, about 10 km south of Brandon. They are open Monday-Saturday from noon-5 p.m. and Sunday from 1 p.m.-5 p.m. They opened for the season on May 19 and will be open until the Thanksgiving weekend.

Mmm … something smells good

Well, if you haven’t heard already, Bath & Body Works opens today at Shoppers Mall. I know I can’t wait to check out the new store!

To help promote the opening, there’s a Shoppers Mall promotion on until May 30. Buy $50 in Shoppers Mall gift cards and receive a free bottle (236 ml) of Bath & Body Works body lotion, plus an in-store voucher.

Shoppers Mall marketing director Candace McKenzie said there are other exciting, new changes taking place at the shopping centre this summer including:

Freshly Squeezed, a new tenant, will open in the food court area. Freshly Squeezed is a juice company that offers smoothies, bubble teas and matcha teas.

Rogers Plus will be moving beside Black’s and Fido will join the mall in the kiosk area by FYidoctors.

This leaves only three vacant spots in Shoppers Mall, which McKenzie said they are pleased with.

“We’ve had a lot of great new stores join the centre,” she said. “The community and the shoppers are really enjoying the merchandising mix that’s available here.”

For more information on Shoppers Mall, visit shoppersmallbrandon.com.