Kara Dunroth stands inside Homestead Market, an indoor market and coffee shop where Hatter's can support about 25 local vendors all under one roof. The grand opening is today from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. -- NEWS PHOTO LAUREN THOMSON
lthomson@medicinehatnews.com
Kara and Kristian Dunroth had a vision of a year-round, indoor, local shopping space, and that dream is coming to fruition with today’s grand opening of Homestead Market.
Located in the building that was previously the Nissan dealership at 1750 Gershaw Drive SE, Homestead Market is a place for Hatters to shop and support many local vendors and artists, all under one roof.
“In central Alberta there’s a couple of these kind of markets and we had visited a couple of them,” said Kara. “Medicine Hat has so many great local vendors, even Alberta wide, and there’s nowhere to just have everything under one roof. So we got thinking and looking for a building, and it took us a while. I’d say we looked for about a year and then we settled on this building. We loved that it had some great, bright windows and just the location, so we took possession in July and started renos.”
Kara is a registered nurse, Kristian is a financial planner and together they have three kids aged 13, 11 and 8. The Dunroths have completely re-invented the space by having the drop ceiling and some walls torn out. A gazebo with lights was built in one of the bays, intended for seasonal use throughout the year and a brand new coffee shop and kitchen was developed in the front.
“This is new, it’s Homestead coffee. There’s a drive-thru up front as well,” said Kara. “We are using Alberta beans, they’re from Cremona Alberta and then our coffee is from Didsbury, so we’re just trying to source local stuff from Alberta if we can’t find it in Medicine Hat.”
Kara makes the bakery items for the coffee shop, focusing on muffins, sandwiches, soups and various baked goods and treats.
The market area of the building features about 25 different vendors. She said they did they a lot of searching for people who saw the vision.
“We just wanted a place where everybody could come shop under one roof and shop local,” said Kara. “We have everything from canned goods and dips, local beef to ice cream to desserts to local artists. We’ve got pottery, we have paintings, we have lotions and lip balms and salsa and locally made soap.”
Kara hopes Hatters come in soon.
“We had a soft opening yesterday for friends and family and it went really great,” said Kara. “I think the only way you’re going to know is just to come check it out, and just to come feel the vibe. Everybody that walks in here has just said how homey and comfortable and welcoming it feels. That’s exactly what we’re going for; we want to be where people gravitate to.”
Check out the grand opening today, Jan. 20, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Business hours following the opening will be Tuesday to Saturday from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. The drive-thru is open the same days from 6:30 a.m. until 6 p.m.
