Five years ago, two couples took possession of the Red Coat Inn in Boissevain and since then have been working to create residential and commercial spaces.

This week a new cannabis store opened its doors and work continues on the addition of four new motel rooms.

“We changed the signage this past weekend and one is for Sadler’s Greenhouse which is expected to open shortly and the other is for the new local cannabis shop. We’ve got the rooms for the motel built and they’re being dry walled and are almost ready for paint. Part of the development plan with the motel is the addition of a retail beer vendor. That space is virtually completed and we’re waiting for licensing approval from the province,” said co-owner Gene Unrau.

Unrau was asked why they decided to use some of their floor space to put a beer vendor in the building.

“The market is changing, and people are looking for a more retail experience and there’s a lot of craft breweries in Manitoba which leaves people searching for different brands so we hope to provide as many options for the purchaser as we can find.”

There’s still about 800 square feet of retail office space available for lease. “It’s essentially ready for a lease holder and just needs to be finished to meet their requirements. That leaves us with the banquet hall. Once the motel rooms and beer vendor are operational, we’ll move straight onto that project and see if we can get an operational banquet hall functioning in that building.”