Downtown Weyburn has been changing over the years, with new businesses and expansions happening this summer for a number of businesses.

Home Hardware in Weyburn is undergoing some changes this year, as their lumber store is currently being renovated to include their hardware store all in one location.

Mayor Marcel Roy said he is glad to see local business staying steady.

“They're expanding and that's really great to see. That shows just how some of the young entrepreneurs are very optimistic even in these tough times, it's good to see that people are still enthusiastic enough,” said Roy. “Burger King is open, we've got Home Hardware expanding, there are other businesses, some oil businesses that have moved in, some of the companies are starting to drill.”

While new businesses claim their stakes in Weyburn, some have been built over generations.

Kevin and Lynn Quist, Dealer Owners of Home Hardware in Weyburn, have seen a lot of growth in the three short years since purchasing the local franchise in 2016. They then purchased their new building from North American Lumber in February of 2018.

“Now, just to make life easier for our customers and ourselves, we're going to merge both stores into this one and make it a one-stop shop for everything,” said Kevin Quist.

He said the new, consolidated location will not only offer more space and parking accessibility, but it will also feature a number of upgrades, including the look and feel of the newer Home Hardware stores Canada-wide. Their shelving will also be completely replaced for the new 8,400 square-foot retail space.

The project was delayed, however, for six months. Work was originally set to be completed by February, but a new energy code came into effect on January first that threw a wrench into their timeline.

“Unfortunately, none of the engineers and builders had the information to go by, so it really slowed down our process of getting our blueprints and documents all done,” he explained.

They were able to resume construction in April, and they now expect the work to wrap up mid-August. Quist said they expect to open in early September.

All local contractors were able to do the work on the project.

“We actually had John Hulbert Construction from Weyburn here, Prairie Lightning Electric from Weyburn here, and Don's Plumbing from Weyburn all doing the job for us,” he said.

The crew from John Hulbert Construction finishing up the pouring and smoothing of cement for the expanded portion of the new Souris Avenue Home Hardware location.

Quist said they appreciate how patient their customers have been while they all await the new store.

“It certainly wasn't in our plan to expand this quickly, but the opportunity presented itself and we just couldn't pass it by,” said Quist.

He added while they will open in September, a Grand Opening celebration for the 12,000 square-foot Souris Avenue location will likely not take place until the spring of 2020.

Quist said the parking at their south location has always been a concern, once the Souris Avenue location opens in September, Home Hardware customers in Weyburn will have ample parking access.