The Bottrel General Store and Campground has a new owner, and local residents couldn’t be more thrilled with the continuation of the local institution which has stood in the area since 1901.
Beverley Guthrie, a self-proclaimed “city girl,” recently bought the store from longtime owner Duane Needham, and took possession of the property on June 24.
Guthrie recalled what drew her to the place, and why it just felt right to purchase the business and keep it going.
It all started with a country drive late last summer.
“I was coming down this road and I saw this (general store) structure, and I thought: ‘What the hell is that?’ Because it is not facing the road. So I came in here, and saw Duane, and I said: ‘Duane, tell me a little bit about it. Tell me the history of it.”
All it took was a few minutes of conversation with Needham, and Guthrie was sold.
“The more he talked, the more I loved this place,” she explained. “And I said: ‘Would you ever think of selling it?’ And he was like, ‘Yes,’ (with a groan). The process started about 11 months ago, and I was probably out here every second week to figure out how we could structure this.
“I just fell in love with it. I fell in love with the building.”
Guthrie said owning a general store in the beautiful Bottrel countryside suits where she is at spiritually and mentally right now. Guthrie, who has been a free spirit for much of her life, also has an entrepreneurial drive which goes bone deep, and she may come by it honestly given her family history.
“My grandfather and great grandfather had general stores in Oyen and Coronation in Alberta, and Broad Acre, Saskatchewan,” she said. “So it’s sort of innate; it’s in our blood. And I have been an entrepreneur since my early twenties.”
Guthrie also feels it is important to keep the business model which has made the store so successful for 123 years, and remain a general store which also offers fuel and liquor.
“I think some people were afraid I was going to turn it into a cafe,” she said. “(The regulars) are tickled pink with what we are doing with this place here. I am opening the hours a little bit longer on the weekends. We have popcorn and treats for them, and coffee in the mornings.
“It’s a great spot, and people here are wonderful.”
Not only is Guthrie keeping the general store approach, she is also planning to expand what she has to offer with more locally sourced art and other products on her shelves alongside various other supplies and sundries.
She is also determined to keep the historic character of the place with many of the store's original antiques being displayed front and centre.
“All of the antiques are staying here,” Guthrie confirmed. “I am not getting rid of any of the antiques or stuff that is meaningful to this place. There is this tactile connection between all the owners, and when you have people who have memories here, and they are willing to share them, and they want to share them, because they want to tell me that this is their home, in a way. And I respect that, and I want to continue it on.”
While the general store will not change too dramatically from what it was under Needham, one area which will see definite improvements is the adjacent campground. Guthrie has already begun the process of modernizing some of the rustic aspects of the campground, which actually predates the general store going back to 1889.
The first changes will be largely cosmetic, said Guthrie. Bringing in a modern check in and permit system, standardizing the camping spaces, refinishing picnic tables and bringing in new ones where needed, and improving the pit toilets located at the campsite. Longer term, Guthrie hopes to work with Rocky View County, which owns a large portion of the existing campground, to improve the camping experience for all. By longstanding agreement, the General Store has managed and maintained the County’s share of the campground alongside its own.
“There is still no electricity,” explained Guthrie. “There is no (potable) water. And the pit toilets, which stink really bad, we are getting it under control.”
Despite its more rustic state, the campground enjoys a lot of popularity, with repeat campers coming back year after year. These repeat customers make up a large percentage of the store’s regular customers during the summer months.
Guthrie acknowledges both campground the store mean a lot to a lot of people.
“I have had a number of people who grew up coming to the store. They remember Rosa Prcic (who owned the Bottrel store from 1984-1999), and they tell me all the stories that are here. Or that they used to work here.”
Guthrie feels that legacy strongly, and knows the Bottrel area regulars, the summer campers, and the various travellers who have been touched in some way by the store have a strong kinship to the place.
“At the end of the day, what matters is family,” she explained. “And there is a consensus among the people around here that they are feeling that way toward each other as well. And that means something to me.”
