Hailing from a small town in southern Manitoba, Aaron Bisson is excited to again be in a small community working as the new owner of the Emo Inn—a hotel, restaurant, and sports bar located on Highway 11/71 in Emo.
“I’ve been looking to buy a business for the past three years. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do,” said Bisson, who studied accounting during his post-secondary education.
“This just seemed like the right fit at the right time.”
He had been watching the business section of the Winnipeg Free Press for a while, where the Emo Inn eventually was posted for sale.
“I’ve always wanted to work in a small town,” Bisson noted. “It’s more comfortable and the people are always friendly and helpful.”
Bisson wasn’t familiar with Emo, expect for driving through it, but his girlfriend originally is from Fort Frances, so he spent three months looking at the local business and finally acquired it just last month.
He admitted he may be a bit more on the younger side to be an owner than people may be expecting, but knows he is ready to take on this endeavour.
“If you have the knowledge, you can do whatever you want,” he stressed, adding he sees a lot of potential in the Emo Inn.
“The bar is a big upside,” he remarked. “I’d like to make it more desirable—make it a fun place to go.”
He said he’d like to improve certain aspects of the business, but doesn’t plan on making any huge changes right away.
“I imagine that the bar used to be a great place to hang out and I’d like to bring it back to that point,” Bisson said, adding he believes the bar may have been somewhat neglected in the past.
“I’d like to introduce some drink specials and maybe have some prizes and promotions,” he explained. “I’d also like to bring in some live entertainment.”
In fact, he already has a classic rock/country band scheduled to play there next weekend in conjunction with the annual Emo Fair.
Bisson also added he’d like to put a computer in the bar in order to provide a variety of music, instead of just having the satellite radio that’s there currently.
Meanwhile, he’s planned minimal changes in the restaurant and hotel sections of the business.
“The hotel is pretty established,” he remarked. “And I think the food is good and well-received. There’s a big menu, so I’ll see what’s doing well and go from there.”
However, he would like to include a 15-minute lunch menu, where local employees could get in to eat and be back to work in time, as well as perhaps adding some theme nights like a fish fry, steak night, or wing specials.
The final section of the Emo Inn is the Country Treasures gift shop, which was marked for termination before the previous owner sold the business. Bisson is unsure whether to continuing with the shop’s closure or keep it open.
“If I decide to keep the area a gift shop, there would have to be some changes, like better access, new items, and it would have to be set up better,” he stated, noting he may attend a gift store workshop in Toronto to get some more tips.
But he’s also toying with the idea of making the space into a banquet room. “I’ll have to see what makes more sense financially,” he reasoned.
Bisson noted he does expect some challenges, but said so far he’s just getting used to the people and how things run.
“I have a great staff who have made the transition much easier,” he noted, adding all the employees will be staying on in their respective capacities.
“They’re the people who had been running it and they’ve been a big help so far.”
He also stressed he hopes owning the Emo Inn will be a longtime endeavour.
“I don’t plan to be here for just two or three years and then turn around and sell it,” Bisson said. “I like Northwestern Ontario—it’s beautiful. I’ve been to a lot of small towns, but here the scenery is amazing.”
And he added the response to him being the new owner has been positive.
“I was worried some of the older people wouldn’t think it is a good idea, but maybe they like seeing someone new here with fresh ideas who will make changes,” Bisson remarked.
“I’m really happy with the response from the community.”
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
