The 'wow' factor is still going strong a year after Glenn and Judy Keddie opened up the 25,000 square foot expansion to Keddie's Tack and Western Wear in Grande Prairie.

 "Even a year later we have people who walk in the store and say "Wow, this is really impressive!"  When we set out to expand we had several goals in mind.  We wanted to be the finest store serving the farm and ranch industry in Canada.  We wanted to ensure that folks driving short or long distances know they don't have to go any further than Keddie's, and it's working," says Judy.

 A bright and warm atmosphere fills the store, making it a comfortable and pleasant  place to do a bit of shopping.  "We brought in a lot of new product lines to keep things fresh, but the best thing about the expansion is that we have been able to pull everything together in one space and really showcase it," smiles Judy.  "We wanted to make the store an even easier place for customers to shop, try, and buy" One of those improved areas is boots. "We've got over 2,000 pairs of boots on the floor," she explains. "That's two and a-half times what we had before. It really makes it nice for the customer because they can try on as many as they like.  The added space makes buying boots a pleasure."

The expansion has also allowed the Keddie's to better display the wide range of clothing, showcasing many of the popular brands in western fashion and accessories.   Judy says, "We used to have 1 change room, now we have 6. Boy, that's really a wonderful difference".

The expanded book and video library is next to the children's play area. "We've always wanted to have a place where the kids could keep entertained while Mom and Dad did their shopping," says Judy. The coloring tables and wooden toys have been enjoyed by all sorts of children.    

 Keddie's has a reputation for having the most complete selection of feed, tack, saddlery and western wear under one roof in Canada.  And there's more.  "A lot of our expansion last year was in our feed and ranch supply business," notes Glenn. "The addition of metal roofing and siding has proven to be very popular judging from the response of our customers. Our onsite manufacturing of salts and minerals under the Keddie's label has also been well received. When we started our business our goal was to be a one-stop shop for anyone on the farm, ranch or acreage. We keep that in mind as the business grows," he adds.

Helping Glenn and Judy maintain that high quality of customer service is a dedicated core of long-term employees.

"They really are one of the reasons we were able to go ahead with the expansion," says Glenn. We're fortunate to have people like Jae Jay Dorscheid, Wayne Alstad, Rob Davidson, Barb Nelmes and others - staff that have been with us for years and years. Even we have been wowed at the number of customers the new store is bringing in. 

"We've added several new employees, and most recently joining our management team is Jan Leroux,  formerly of Bucks in the Prairie Mall. Jan brings with her a high level of customer service and expertise in western wear - and Bucky the Quarter Horse!  The kids love to ride Bucky!   

"The other big contributing factor is our family's involvement," notes Glenn.  Judy and Glenn's son Jeff returned to Grande Prairie after completing his B.Sc. in Agriculture specializing in livestock nutrition.