Work on The Place coming along

The extensive renovations at The Place Food Town, which started back in October, continue to move along, with owner Craig Sanders expecting all of the new areas of the store to be open to customers next month.
“Things are going well. They’re starting to paint the new section [on the east side of the building],” Sanders noted Thursday. “Once it’s painted, then we can put the flooring in.
“And after that, we can start moving things.
“Everything has to be timed,” he added. “Kind of like dominos; once one is done, you can do the next.
“The equipment—the freezer units and display cases—is supposed to start arriving on April 10, and we should be fully operational by the end of April,” Sanders remarked.
Once that new equipment does arrive, Sanders said stock and even the checkouts will have to be shifted around to make way during the installation process.
It will take two-three weeks to get everything in its proper place.
Sanders said plans for the 3,200 sq. ft. expansion include a bakery and deli area, expanded produce and meat departments, and a considerably expanded frozen food section.
The expansion to the east side of the building will house the bakery, deli, and produce departments.
Meanwhile, some of the new or expanded areas elsewhere in the store already are being used. For instance, the expansion to the rear has made way for lots of room for stock and a new meat freezer.
As well, the new loading area lets one person do in a half-hour what it used to take five to do in one, said Sanders.
And butcher Mike Yuill has a lot more room to move in the new meat department (located in the northwest part of the store as opposed to the east wall), which is about 30 percent larger the old one.
As for the exterior of the building, Sanders said the east, north, and south walls have new steel siding, but the front (which will be covered in stucco) will have to wait until warmer weather.
The parking lot also will have to wait until late spring or summer.
With the exception of handicap spots near the store’s entrance, all parking will be moved to a paved lot on the east side of the building.
Sanders noted the expansion and renovations are meant to make it easier for staff to work in the store and customers to shop there while also expanding the variety and number of products available.
He added he’s gotten positive feedback from customers, who seem eager to see the end result of the renovations.
“Everybody seems to be very excited about it, looking forward to it—especially the new bakery,” Sanders remarked. “I know I’m very much looking forward to it. It’s very chaotic going through it.
“I must make 20 to 30 decisions a day, from paint colour to types of doors,” he added. “You lay awake at night thinking about it. ‘What shade of green should I paint the walls?’”
The main contractor on the job has been Ed Kaun & Sons Ltd., with M.L. Caron Electric taking care of the electrical work.
A company from Winnipeg will be installing the new refrigeration units.