If you live in Burns Lake, B.C., you’ve probably heard of a quaint little store off of Highway 16 called the Decker Lake Trading Post.
You’ve probably passed by its telltale ragtag variety of everything from antique trinkets to refurbished furniture to standard (or edible) fuel for your road trip.
You probably know Lawrence Hallgren who, for almost thirty years, ran the store which has become a fixture of the community, its striking inflatable jack-o’-lantern a glowing beacon in the night for locals and tourists alike.
You likely know about how he bought the store all the way back in 1990, when it was a second-hand shop, expanding on the building and adding a gas station.
However, what you might not know, is that Hallgren just retired.
In his place, his daughter Janet Macadam will take over the store.
She says it’s something she and her dad had discussed over the years.
But now, after nearly three decades, she says the timing just seemed right.
“I started working 28 years ago for my dad and so he’s ready to retire,” she says.
“He kept pushing me to buy it, so here I am!”
Macadam says one of her favorite things about the store is the eclectic mix of people they get.
She adds that sometimes they won’t see someone for months or years, but it’s always a nice surprise when they return.
“Sometimes we see them two years later, we’ve had people from Germany, different places, and it’ll be two years later and they’re back.”
Macadam says that owning the store has always been a dream of hers and that she is happy it can continue to serve the community.
“It’s actually not like a job, it’s just like … I don’t know what you’d call it,” she says with a laugh.