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Several Red Deer businesses are doing the downtown shuffle

Four businesses change locations and or name and re-open
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Mike Brunner, Sarai Spiel and their pooch Diablo sit on the Ross Street Patio in front of the new location of the Games Music store. (Photo by LANA MICHELIN/Advocate staff).

A racing car on Ross Street should help draw crowds to a downtown business that’s reopening in what the owners describe as a safer location.

The Games Music store that was operating near the top of Little Gaetz Avenue since 1988 has moved to the former Sunworks spot on Ross Street. The owner’s son, Kevin Emo, said the store that sells used games, DVDs and CDs was always a family oriented business, but was losing customers because of drug activity on the street.

“We are hearing from people now that they’re happy we moved and they feel safer bringing their kids here.”

Emo is pleased that the downtown police foot patrol will be operating out of a new office on Little Gaetz with the Downtown Business Association, and believes it will make a difference. “But it was too late for us, because we’d decided to move already…”

Games Music will be throwing a reopening celebration on Friday, June 21, with a dragster parked in front of the store and special discounts. The racing car belongs to the store’s owner, Tony Redelback, whose hobby is drag racing.

The Here to Mars cafe/restaurant (formerly Coconut Room), located on the second floor of the building occupied by Games Music, will be presenting a sports and entertainment-themed art exhibition by Robert Hamill during Friday’s grand re-opening. Hamill’s concert photos will also be presented in an on-going display in the restaurant.

Here to Mars’ new owner Jesse Roads said he’s making a special gourmet hot-dog for the occasion that will go with the sports car theme.

Meanwhile, Sunworks is now located on Little Gaetz, just south of Ross Street. Paul Harris and Terry Warke own this building, “so when a vacancy came up, we thought it was a good opportunity for us to move,” said Harris.

Store merchandise was switched up to a more unique array of products, including books, giftware and original art by local artists.

“We are loving our new location,” Harris added. Pedestrian traffic with less road noise “appeals to my aesthetic and makes the store quite pleasant to have open during the summer.”

The downtown business shuffle includes the Housewarmings store. It recently moved to the south side of Ross Street from the north side.

Owner Catherine Robb said she purchased her own building after being told she could no longer use the back door of her former leased space for deliveries. It had been leased from the John Howard Society.

Robb’s reopened store continues to carry a diverse array of locally made and global giftware and clothing, many produced in developing nations.



lmichelin@reddeeradvocate.com

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