Astoria Pizza and Pasta, a long standing favorite among College and University students in Brandon, and one of the city's most popular family restaurants, is set to reopen with the same old country family recipes and guiding principles, GM and Owner Toula Paras-Tarr tells bdnmb.ca.  Astoria Pizza and Pasta will be located at 1630 Park Ave, which in the past has been the home to both Gulliver's Grill and Blu. Toula is the daughter of Steve & Barb Paras.  Her parents, now since retired, will serve as consultants on the new project.  Toula wants to ensure that the food they put out each day is "exactly the same as it was when the restaurant was located at the corner of 26th and Victoria Ave". To this day people tell Toula that they still crave Astoria's signature pizza "The Astoria Royal", a pizza loaded with tomato sauce, mushrooms, salami,  cheese, ham, pepperoni, bacon, green peppers and onions. Hoping for an April 1 launch,  Toula said that for the first month of operation they will only be offering/selling pizza.  During this initial phase the pizza be made available exclusively via delivery (717-5555).  In the weeks that follow they intend to slowly introduce more of the popular menu items from the original Astoria menu like the handcrafted pastas, subs and salads. According to Toula, they would like to have the dining room open to the public within 2-2.5 months of the initial launch, at which point they will be hosting a job fair to help staff the licensed (beer & wine) dining room. Additional future business plans call for the restaurant to start integrating in several menu items from the Gulliver's Grill menu.  While Gulliver's had a rather extensive menu selection, Toula said they will look to carry some of the most popular, and requested, menu items from that menu like the signature soups, desserts, and mains. Toula, who started as a dishwasher in the family restaurant at age 12, is extremely excited and passionate about the opportunity and she invites all former Astoria patrons to come check out the new dining room once open.

Nickel Electric has been part of the Brandon business community since 1974. As new owners have taken over the company, the goal is to continue to build on the great reputation that they’ve had for more than four decades. “Nickel Electric started out with just three employees. The company has grown and its reputation has been built on providing great customer service and quality electrical work,” says Shannon McLean-Geletchuk, Owner/Office Administration. “We plan to continue down that path as we all pride ourselves on providing excellent customer service and we wish Len all the best in his retirement.” Shannon and her husband Darren Geletchuk bought into the company in 2015 and more recently Justin and Alanna Hermary, as well as Ken Mott and Lisa Rowley, joined in as partners. Darren, Justin, and Ken are all experienced Red Seal Journeymen Electricians. As a COR certified company, Nickel Electric provides full-service electrical contracting for residential, commercial, agricultural and industrial projects throughout the Westman region. During the peak construction season, they will employ as many as 20 people. In addition, they’ve been watching the trends and interest in solar energy in Manitoba and will offer services in that as well. And, as a company, they themselves are taking advantage of the benefits. “Once all the snow is gone, we will be installing solar panels on the roof of our building to offset the electrical costs in the shop and the office. It’s something we believe in, plus this will allow us to use our own panels as a display model,” said Shannon. “With electricity rates going up, more and more people are looking into solar power to offset costs. When spring comes, we’ll hit the ground running and will be ready to start installations for our clients as well.”

Frank and Gerri Iwasiuk felt it was time to diversify their menu at Twisters, as they looked to transition away from a seasonal business to a year-round operation. In order to facilitate opening year-round some renovations first had to be completed including the addition of bathrooms. Some new menu additions for 2018 will include a mini donut sundae, popcorn and take out foods like smokies and hot-dogs.  In September they will add soups, chilli, and wraps to enable them to stay open year-round. Twisters has been in existence for 11 years and this will be year 2 year of ownership for Gerri and Frank.  Check out their official Facebook page for updates as to when they will open in 2018.

Genesis Hospitality Management is pleased to announce their team have moved the head office to a new location. They are now operating at 3000 Unit H Victoria Avenue, Brandon, MB. Our modern and larger office space allows us to continue to grow and evolve our services for our clients and employees. All other contact information including email address and phone numbers will remain the same. Genesis Hospitality Management currently owns and operates eleven hotels, four in Manitoba, one in Alberta and six in Ontario.

The Nearly New Shop in Brandon is a local charity that first opened on September 17th, 1984. It is run by 100 dedicated volunteers and a full time manager. Volunteers commit to at least one 3.5 hour shift (either 10-1:30 or 1:30-5), one day per week, Monday through Saturday. The staff say that they do the work because they believe that it benefits our community. Nearly New profits are donated to the Brandon hospital to buy equipment for patient care. The store, at 601-9th St in Brandon, has recently expanded its hours to Mon to Sat 10-5. The volunteers have also installed new shelving and racks (all donated by local businesses) and have expanded the storage space to allow them to take in more donations. They gratefully accept donations of new, gently used & complete items at the back alley door at 601-9th St. Except not this week. This week, The Nearly New Shop is closed getting ready for their Spring & Summer Grand Reopening on Friday Feb 23rd at 10am. In preparation for the Grand Reopening the volunteers have emptied the shop, washed all of the racks and shelves and had the carpets shampooed. Now they are working hard restocking the shop with all of the spring & summer clothing that they have been accepting as donations over the winter. According to the Nearly New facebook page, “Changing over our complete inventory for each Grand Reopening is our way of thanking everyone who shops with us. This Friday, the store will be filled with all sorts of treasures at Nearly New prices. So come in, get a fabulous deal or two, and contribute to maintaining top quality patient care in our community. Thanks to everyone out there who supports The Nearly New Shop. We hope to see you this Friday!” Due to their great prices, high quality merchandise and the fact that shoppers know that they are spending money in support of patient care at Brandon Hospital, the Nearly New Shop motto is “Feel Good Shopping”. So whether you are a long-time customer or just learning about the store for the first time, this Friday is a great opportunity to check out a fantastic charity in Brandon.