Pita Pit will be opening a second location in Brandon. The new restaurant will be located at 1890-18th Street North in the recent addition on the property. Local owner, Jigar Patel tells bdnmb.ca that they are hoping to complete renovations and have the restaurant open in early March. Pita Pit offers a wide range of healthy pita options (rolled or bowled) including gluten-free pitas, all-day breakfast and smoothies. The first Pita Pit in Brandon opened in May of 2013.

The wait is nearly over, Wayback Burgers in Brandon (1240-18th Street) will open to the public on Tuesday, January 7 at 10:00am. The 48 seat, 1600 square foot licensed restaurant will serve fresh, delicious, never frozen beef patties that are cooked to order. The hand-dipped milkshakes are made the old-fashioned way, by hand, using only whole milk and hand-dipped ice cream. They also offer crispy and grilled chicken sandwiches, veggie burgers, fresh salads and delicious sides, including fries, onion rings and House Made Chips. Additional parking spots (40) are available at the rear of the building. The Facebook page for the Brandon location can be found here. Hours of Operation: Sunday-Thursday: 10am to 10pm Friday-Saturday: 10am to 12am

The Shoppers Mall will have new hours of operation starting tomorrow. An announcement was made on their Facebook back on December the 13th stating that "changes are based on feedback from our visitors and retail tenants." The biggest change comes on Saturdays where the mall will now close at 6pm. The new hours as of January 2, 2020 will be: Monday - Friday 10am to 9pm Saturday 9:30am to 6pm Sunday 11am to 6pm

The theory in business is that if you can make it 2 to 3 years financially you should be OK. After a successful run of over 30 years, Brandon Avenue Electric owner Vern Snyder has sold his business and will retire in one year. Paul Johnston has purchased the company which includes the assets, contracts, clientele, and the trust & goodwill within the community. The business will continue to operate in the current building however they could make plans for a new location soon. A few months ago bdnmb.ca asked his son Joel if he would take on the family business and he said his passion wasn’t power. According to Vern, growing up as a kid that wasn’t Joel's thing..."he tried it out it wasn’t his thing so I didn’t push him". When asked what advice he could give a young person in regards to stating their own business Vern said "It’s a lot harder than you think...it depends on the person and lots of times when you pay your gas and insurance and supplier in advance and then you wait for money from jobs and customers and you don’t get paid. Lots of evenings and weekends and for sure isn’t as glamorous as it could appear". Vern, who is known to golf frequently at Deer Ridge and at The Tamarack, plans on slowly adding to an expanded golf schedule in his last year of work as he transitions into retirement.

Prairie204 Home & Gift Boutique, a new retail store specializing in local handmade items will be opening in Brandon on Saturday, January 4. The store, located at 728 10th Street, will showcase merchandise from 40 vendors including Iron Age Welding, Young Living Essential Oils, Wazi Wears, Lil Métis Shop in The Prairies, and more. According to owner Natasha Lamb, the concept for the store was a 3-4 year process of planning, acquiring vendors, and putting everything into motion. There are a few final tasks left to complete prior to opening including some paint touch ups and inventory from select vendors. For more information on Prairie204 Home & Gift Boutique, please visit their Facebook page here.