Red Deer Downtown Business Association
Downtown Business Spotlight: CanWest Travel Company
For this week’s Business Spotlight, we stopped into CanWest Travel Company. Located at 5018 50 St (Ross Street), CanWest Travel Company has been part of downtown for over 24 years! We sat down with, managing partner, Joanne Walokoff, to learn more.
What is your business?
CanWest Travel, a retail business agency.
When did you open?
1996.
What would you say makes your business unique?
We’re the only one downtown, I believe. We serve all of Central Alberta. We used to have a location in the south as well. We specialize in African travel, and we custom design any trip that people want—whereas other traditional travel agencies will sell packages that are already put together. But we love to customize plans for people, make it their own.
What are some products/services that you offer?
We are full retail, so we sell airline tickets, do hotel bookings, all-inclusive packages, cruises, coach tours, expeditions tours, expedition cruises, lots of niche products like polar bear adventures—that sort of thing. That is what full service is, I guess.
Why did you choose Downtown Red Deer as the location for your business?
Well my brother and I are partners here, and we are from Red Deer, so we just wanted to be in the center, in the heart. This is our third location in Red Deer, but we’ve always had a location downtown and we just love the people that are down here and want to see it thrive.
What do you think makes Downtown vibrant?
I think it’s the mix of people, and the mix of businesses—people coming for lots of different reasons; for hair, for groceries, for travel, for banking… lots of different services, shopping, dining. It just has a lot to offer and City Hall Park is a beautiful place to hang out, have some lunch. Ross Street Patio is always fun, the market is great. People are coming down if its once a week or once a month, there is still something to draw them to the heart of Red Deer.
I love Downtown Red Deer because… it is home for us. We don’t live downtown but we work downtown, and the majority of our time is here, and it’s been successful for us. And we do enjoy the diversity of people. We see a lot of the people from C.A.R.E. go by and have served a lot of them. We collect clothes and housewares for new immigrants and refugees in our basement, and we have volunteers at TGSL. We get a lot of those people that come in that we meet and welcome them, so they have a comfortable place in town. I just love a lot of things about it, even some of the street people are so awesome, it just makes it more unique. Lots of people are scared to come downtown and I am so shocked by that, really, people are harmless. So, I love downtown because it’s our home, and we’ve made it our home. It’s not big and concrete either, like downtown Edmonton. It’s big and busy—I like that it’s small and more cozy, intimate. And lots of small businesses, which is nice. If you look across the street you can see four other businesses.
Be sure to check out CanWest Travel Company for your next vacation! You can find them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!
Website: https://canwest.travel/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CanWestTravel/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/canwesttravelcompany/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/canwesttravel
With great enthusiasm and anticipation, the Downtown Business Association (DBA) is thrilled to share some exciting updates and plans for the future! After careful consideration and a deep understanding of our community’s needs, we are here to announce our latest developments.
Firstly, while we understand the disappointment caused by the cancellation of the upcoming season of the Downtown Saturday Market, we want to assure you that this decision was made with the utmost care and consideration. Our valued vendors and attendees have shown incredible support and enthusiasm for this new venture, and for that, we are truly grateful.
Though we faced time constraints and logistical challenges that hindered our ability to organize the event effectively, we have not lost sight of our mission to bring joy and entertainment to the community. Our plans for the Wednesday Market remain unchanged and we are are thrilled to inform you that the music programming meant for Saturday market entertainment will continue to thrive!
Every Saturday from 2-4pm, the public patio will come alive with soul-stirring performances from amazing artists from all over Central Alberta and beyond. Best of all, this event is free and open to the public, inviting everyone to share in the magic of live music. This will be in addition to the regularly scheduled Tuesday – Friday Programming, with an extra special open mic night every Thursday evening. Friday’s will take it up a notch with business-led events that will make your evenings truly unforgettable.
We have an incredible lineup of events and activities planned for this summer to enhance your enjoyment of the Ross Street Patio, day and night. To stay up-to-date with all the showtimes and artist line-ups, we encourage you to follow us on our social media channels.
In addition, our Host-It! Program offers community partners the opportunity to use the stage every Saturday throughout the summer. Imagine the possibilities—music, theatre, art galleries, and so much more. We are committed to providing a platform for diverse activities that will invigorate the heart of our downtown. And let’s not forget the festivals! The Downtown Business Association is proud to support several upcoming festivals on Ross Street and nearby this summer. These celebrations will infuse the area with a joyful and festive atmosphere, attracting thousands of visitors to revel in the excitement. After immersing yourself in these vibrant events, the Ross Street Patio will be the perfect spot to unwind and savor a refreshing beverage.
Our little Entertainment District has flourished, and we couldn’t be prouder. The first full summer season with this new bylaw in place promises to be an absolute triumph, as we are still the only Entertainment District in Alberta.
Looking ahead, the DBA remains dedicated to fostering a vibrant and thriving downtown. We are already hard at work planning an afternoon market for next year based on valuable community feedback. This revised schedule will provide vendors with greater flexibility and the opportunity to participate in other morning markets. We are committed to announcing and implementing these efforts earlier, ensuring that vendors have ample time to plan their seasons accordingly.
Together, as a united community, we will continue to create successful opportunities for all. Let’s embrace the vibrant future that awaits us and build a downtown that will inspire and uplift us all.
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