ENTERPRISE
Twin Falls Inn is transforming into Lisa's Place. The prominent Enterprise business - currently consisting of a motel, gas bar and convenience store - has a new owner/operator.

Lisa Thurber-Tsetso of Fort Simpson is the new owner/operator of Lisa's Place, formerly Twin Falls Inn, in Enterprise. - Paul Bickford/NNSL photo

Lisa Thurber-Tsetso of Fort Simpson officially took possession of the operation on March 31.

"I always wanted to run my own business," she said.

Currently, new signage is being created to change the name in the next couple of weeks.

"I'm able to use the Twin Falls Inn name for a little while longer, but we are transitioning over. I always wanted to see my name in writing," Thurber-Tsetso said with a laugh. "I don't know if anybody else wants to see their name in lights or writing, but I kind of did."

Everything will be called Lisa's Place, including a restaurant which she plans to reopen.

"We are aiming to open the restaurant June 1," she said, explaining the idea is to offer quick food, such as homemade soup and sandwiches, and possibly a breakfast buffet.

The restaurant hasn't been open for a number of years when it was known as the Junction Cafe.

The motel itself has six rooms, and two of them are under renovation.

Thurber-Tsetso has also been testing new hours of operation for the business, and now opens from 7 a.m. until midnight, seven days a week.

"I see us in probably three years hopefully running 24 hours," she said. "I live here. It's not like I have to get up and go anywhere for work."

She and two of her children will be living in a residence on site.

The new owner of the Enterprise business actually spent the first six years of her life in the community.

"So it's kind of like coming home again," she said.

Thurber-Tsetso has a spiritual connection to the community - her brother Dennis Thurber of Fort Providence and another man were electrocuted in an industrial accident in Enterprise in 2005.

"In my culture, what I've learned is it's not about them passing, you keep them alive with your memories," she said. "So being here is keeping my brother close to me and my family. It feels like home to me."

Thurber-Tsetso is a member of the Liidlii Kue First Nation in Fort Simpson.

That means Lisa's Place is 100 per cent aboriginal-owned, she noted. "I like that. I take great pride in my aboriginal culture."

Thurber-Tsetso said she decided to buy the business because she was in the middle of a transition from working for government, and had always been looking for a restaurant with living quarters to buy.

She pointed to her expertise as a cook, noting she once had a catering business in Fort Simpson.

"I went to school at Grande Prairie Regional College to study business so I could open up my restaurant one day. Then I got lost in government," she said with a laugh. "I spent 10 years in government."

That included working in finance and administration with the Department of Public Works and Services, and with the Department of Education, Culture and Employment.

"I just really missed cooking. It was to the point where I had no time left to cook anymore with my government job taking up every last minute I had," Thurber-Tsetso said, noting, now that she is in her early 40s, it is time to make a change.

After meeting the new business owner for the first time on April 15, Mayor John Leskiw II expressed optimism about her plans for the business.

"I'm really looking forward to the improvements in the community," he said, pointing in particular to the plan to reopen the restaurant.

"I think it's going to be good for everybody," he said.

Leskiw said he also hopes Lisa's Place may mean more jobs for people in Enterprise.

Right now, there are three-and-a-half positions at the business.

Thurber-Tsetso declined to say how much she paid for the business, which was purchased with her own resources and a loan from the NWT Business Development and Investment Corporation.

She noted another change for Lisa's Place will be the ability of travellers to get a room throughout any time of day.

There will be a vacancy sign to let people know rooms are available, and an after-hours phone number. She will get up to make sure they can find accommodation.

"It's Northern hospitality," she explained. "There is a long way between anywhere."

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