When you walk through the doors of the newly opened Waywayseecappo FoodMart, it’s likely you’ll have to stop and take in the view for just a second or two....

It’s bright and inviting with large wide aisles and shelves that are big enough to house a huge variety of stock. Right inside the doors, you’re met by a deli serving delicious take out meals prepared in a kitchen that truly is stunning to look at, let alone work in.

If your sweet tooth is calling you, fresh bread, pastries and cookies baked daily also tempt you at the door. Dan Szwaluk, who has managed the Food Mart in Waywayseecappo First Nation for 28 years, said between the planning and a few Covid 19 induced delays, the new retail food store has taken a few years to become a reality. “I really appreciate the patience of Chief and council and all the residents,” he said. “But I do think what we ended up with was worth the wait.”

The goal from the start, he said was to make this new Waywayseecappo Food Mart a destination shopping experience – something like you’d see in the city, Szwaluk said. “And from the comments I’m hearing, I think we may have accocmplished that.” When the new Food Mart officially opens on Tuesday, Oct 27th, it will mark two years to the day that the sod was turned and construction began.

But talks started years before that.

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