Philippe Morin
Northern News Services
Monday, May 21, 2007

ARCTIC RED RIVER - Tsiigehthic's new Northern Store opened its doors to customers April 23.

The store is now fully operational, and will provide residents with food, clothing and miscellaneous goods.

Cashier James Benoit Cardinal - whom everyone in town calls J-J - said few renovations were made to the old Trapper Store, which the Northern will replace.

"It's pretty much the same thing, only imagine the shelves are full," Benoit said.

The Northern Store is now directly across the street from the hamlet's band office, and shares space with the post office.

Cardinal added the store was quite busy at times on its first day - but not all the time.

"Here and there, it was pretty busy, but for an hour or so, it was pretty much dead."

According to company spokesperson Scott Crockett, the hamlet's store is much smaller than many other Northerns in the NWT, and will carry a basic assortment of food and dry goods.

The store gas hired three local people to be store manager, full-time employee and part-time employee.

Before the opening of the Northern Store, Tsiigehthic had been served by Num-Num's, a small store based in a local home.

On May 7, owner and operator Terry Remy-Sawyer said her store would no longer carry food, since the Northern had arrived.

However, she said it will continue to rent movies, and also focus on her crafts. .

"I am making jewelry such as earrings, Mukluks, baby straps, all sorts of things," she said.

Husband Don Horrocks agreed there was no need to keep selling food, especially since the couple would prefer to focus on other things.

"We're trying to get rid of the groceries, just changing the way we're doing things," he said.

Horrocks added he formerly ran the post office in the Trapper Store building, but this task is now being done by the Northern Store manager.