New Riverbend Hardware

Back in 2001, Andy Stafiniak was looking for a change from his career and came across a listing for a quaint general store in Calgary’s Riverbend neighbourhood. “I looked at this as a business venture, but still planned to keep my regular job and do this on the side,” says Andy. “It became my pet project, but it needed me to be hands-on so I decided to do it full-time.”

The idea of a general store conjures up a quaint notion of a nostalgic prairie town where locals would come to get everything they needed for their home. While most have fallen by the wayside, Andy keeps that image alive with the Riverbend General Store. “That is part of the charm of being here," he says. "It's stacked from floor to ceiling. Customers can remember that and say, ‘I grew up with this,’ or, ‘I grew up in a small town that had a store like this.’ ”

The shop is primarily known for its hardware supplies, but Riverbend General Store is so much more. Since he bought it, Andy figures he has tripled the amount of inventory. “It’s hardware and more; we do everything. We have housewares, paint supplies, seasonal decorations…we have a little barbecue section. It’s a lot in a little 1400 square foot space.”