Old Strathcona Antique Mall officially under new ownership
The Old Strathcona Antique Mall reopened Tuesday under new ownership.
For the past month and a little bit, new owner Mykel Lewsaw has been preparing for the handoff from the previous owners of 16 years, mother-daughter duo Betty Reitan and Bobbi Weibel.
'There's going to be no major changes off the start,' Lewsaw promised in an interview with CTV News Edmonton.
Four years ago, Lewsaw became the owner of Edmonton's Rocky Mountain Antique Mall. He believes there's a market to support both businesses, which vary slightly in their offerings.
'I think there's a lot of potential here. I want to keep the operations running the way they are. But of course there's gonna be a few changes. I look forward to what we can do over here,' Lewsaw said.
'A mall like this is super important because you get something for everybody. No matter who comes in the door, we have something that will be of interest to them.'
Reitan and Weibel, who jointly decided to sell their business to focus more on family, called the transition bittersweet.
'It's been 10 years since we went to Europe and bought a container of things to bring over. We did that three times. That was a lot of fun. We had a Guinness Book of World Records event here. It was the largest troll collection, so that was fun. The Amazing Race was here, of course, and that was a lot of fun, too. So, yeah, there's a bunch a lot of memories,' Weibel said.
But they agreed that Lewsaw was the best person to take over because of his experience and age, which aligns directly with the Old Strathcona Antique Mall's demographic.
'I only knew Michael as a competitor for four years. But as we got to know him, it was hard at first, because you're pretty much opening your kimono to your competitor,' Reitan commented. 'As I got to know him, I feel very comfortable that he understands the special place that (Old Strathcona Antique Mall) has in the hearts of Edmonton, and that he intends to retain that. I'm sure that he's going to have some new ideas, as any new individual does coming into a new role, so I'm excited to see where he takes it.'
With files from CTV News Edmonton's Connor Hogg
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