Yes, We Are Open‪!‬ Moneris, Al Grego

In the season 6 finale of ‘Yes, We Are Open’, Al visits Peterborough, Ontario and Scott Stuart, owner of Kawartha TV & Stereo. They’ve been fixtures in the city for over half a century! In that time, their industry has gone through countless disruptive technology changes but they’ve been able to adapt and today they continued to provide their customers with top quality products and service. This is their story.

Back from His Calgary trip, Al heads down to the “Honeymoon Capital of the World” Niagara Falls to visit Andrew Vergalito, owner of Italian Ice Cream. The business was opened by Andrew’s parents Joe and Anna in 1978 and for 46 years they’ve been serving the locals and tourists alike. There have been many challenges and changes to the area in their almost half-century of business. This is their story.

Al’s final stop on his Calgary trip is to Heritage Park Historical Village. It’s one of Calgary’s premier tourist attractions, originally opened in 1964 with a mission to connect visitors with the history of Western Canada. Al visits with Dominic Terry, a spokesperson at the park. Dominic talks about the park’s origins and how it has evolved in the past 60 years bringing history lessons to life through immersive storytelling and fun attractions for everyone. This is the story of Heritage Park.

Virginia Borges came to Canada in 2014 from Venezuela with the dream of starting her own business. She wanted her business to give back to the community in some way. She then opened Re:Grub Burger Bar.Known for their highly instagrammable milkshakes and burgers, Re:Grub has become a popular Calgary hotspot for their unique and delicious creations. This is Virginia’s story.

Al’s next stop in Alberta is beautiful Canmore, home of Sara and Joe Titus, owners of Going With The Grain. For almost 20 years Sara and Joe have been installing and restoring Hardwood floors in the Canmore area. They are one of only two husband & wife teams in North America to hold the designation of ‘Bona Certified Craftsmen’. All this to say, they know their craft! Throughout their 20 years of business, Sara and Joe have encountered many struggles. From building their brand when they opened, to a recession, to unpredictable scheduling issues, to increasing material costs, their business can be volatile. How have they managed? Listen to find out.

This week Al goes to picturesque Banff, Alberta to visit Ken McMurdo, owner of Mountain Chocolates. Ken started his business in 1989 when Banff was just beginning to grow into the tourist attraction it has become. But it hasn’t always been a sweet time for Mountain Chocolates. Being so heavily reliant on tourism has meant many ups and downs for Ken’s business and he’s seen it all, from natural disasters to global conflicts to the pandemic. His latest challenges involve inflation and supply chain issues. How is he managing? Listen to find out.