Lou’s Pastimes & Treasures is a new local business in our community that commenced operation in December 2023 at 10004 107 Street. We are pleased to welcome Lou’s Pastime & Treasures as a unique and energetic addition to our downtown neighborhood. This business has been selected for the Local Business Spotlight Series in appreciation of the hard work and innovation they put into their steadily expanding store-front.
Lou’s Pastimes & Treasures brings a unique touch to the downtown core with a variety of rare and essential items available for purchase. This shop carries a diverse inventory of gently-used clothing, nik-naks, antiques and crafting supplies. It’s also worth noting the reasonably price Oilers hockey jerseys and memorabilia available just in time for play-off season!
Local shop owner, Brenda Lussier, holds her second-hand store to a very high standard. She personally inspects each article of clothing and antique brought in to ensure a good quality product is being provided to the customer. Brenda will then wash each material and establish a fair price point for every item prior to placing it on her shelves.
After 25 years of dedication in the healthcare field, Brenda was being guided to make a career change after being surrounded by the turmoil that naturally comes with a job in health care for a long period of time. Just as she was considering her options, she unfortunately got hurt on the job which ultimately forced her to take the leap in a career path adjustment. As Brenda grew up in Westlock her whole life, it was important to her that she continued giving back and doing something that felt meaningful as she genuinely does in health care. Her experience on many local volunteer boards and initiatives, such as the Community Garden, gave her that added desire to assist her community in whatever way she can.
The magic of thrifting has always been a special hobby of Brenda’s ever since she was a young girl. Thrifting was a way of life for her family. Growing up she had the pleasure of joining her parents on many garage sale and auctioneering expeditions, searching for the best used items and antique collectibles. The connection between Brenda and her father was a very special one as they bonded over thrifting and collecting. Brenda gained the nickname “Lou” from her from her father as she used to always sing ‘Skip to my Lou’ on their bargaining adventures; her father rarely referred to as Brenda. Her mother always had a dream to open up an antique shop with all their treasured finds, called ‘Pastimes’. So as an honor and a tribute to her parents and the memorable childhood she had, the name ‘Lou’s Pastimes & Treasures’ flowed to Brenda effortlessly. As an added sentimental touch, when you walk through the doors of Lou’s Pastimes & Treasures, you will actually see a 30 year old sign above the register that says ‘Pastimes’ on it. That sign was made by Brenda’s mother for the dream store that she was unfortunately never able to bring to fruition.
Choosing the perfect location for Brenda’s store was important for her as her main objective was to find a space with wheelchair accessibility in the downtown core. She knew she wanted to be close to the hustle and bustle of the foot traffic generated in the area but also made it a top priority to make her shop accessible by all customers. When she came into possession of the ideal location on 107 street, she knew fate was on her side in her new business venture.
Brenda has created a very friendly and inviting workplace culture within her store. While its a small, family operated business, all staff are treated as family. With Brenda’s extensive history in labor relations, the care of her staff is her first concern as a business owner.
A successful business to Brenda is one that can be sustained financially, pay the bills and ensure staff are fairly compensated. Long-term success would be the ability to expand into a larger space with increased donations.
When it comes to similar businesses in the community, Brenda made it very clear that she does not want to compete but rather work with them in a very supportive nature. Should a customer come in looking for something specific and it cannot be found at Lou’s Pastimes & Treasures, the staff will be sure to refer them to another store that may carry what they are looking for. Brenda expressed with true sincerity “at the end of the day, what matters most is what is best for the town residents and the community as a whole.”
Lou’s Pastimes & Treasures carries lots of clothing of all sizes as well as many unique items as collecting and hunting for antiques is Brenda’s lifelong passion. She holds a high standard to the organization and cleanliness of her store ensuring it looks tidy and smells fresh when you walk through the front doors. One of Brenda’s favorite things about owning a thrifting business is getting to hear all the intriguing and heartwarming stories associated with many of the items that come in for donation. Every item seems to have an adventure attached to it and Brenda wants to hear it! She described a story of a delicate 100 year old china set and the sentimental attachment to from the person donating it. In an ironic turn of events, the purchaser of this tea set connected deeply to the story that accompanied it and left Brenda’s store with a refreshing sentiment from her shopping experience.
Some new exciting initiatives Brenda has on the go is the very popular puzzle exchange where people can exchange puzzles as they build them and are in need of a new one. Another program that Brenda is very exciting about is her Crafting Corner. The Crafting Corner uses items that can be reused, upcycled and repurposed for creative crafting projects. Brenda then shares these ideas with her customers online and has the necessary materials available for pick up. In the near future, she would like to also host a crafting evening as a fun way to bring the community together.
Brenda wanted to leave us with one final note, “I am very thankful and want to share my appreciation for the community of Westlock with all of the support, donations and shopping experienced in Lou’s Pastimes & Treasures.”
Lou's Pastimes & Treasures
780-350-8623
10004 107 Street