The Heather Hut’s Rita Stacey is pulling up stakes and heading to Slave Lake

Heather Hut owner Rita Stacey has closed her 41-year-old business and is pulling up stakes and moving to Slave Lake, Alberta. David F. Rooney photo
Heather Hut owner Rita Stacey has closed her 41-year-old business and is pulling up stakes and moving to Slave Lake, Alberta. David F. Rooney photo

By David F. Rooney

Rita Stacey, the classy lady who ran the Heather Hut, is pulling up stakes and heading east, well, northeast, to Slave Lake, Alta.

“Don’t laugh,” she says, “I am moving the girls and myself to Slave Lake, Alberta. Why there? Opportunity knocks, the jobs are endless with my skills, the pay is good, the cost of living is half of what it is here and I get to make a new mark.  Might have to trade my high heels and black cocktail dress in on mukluks and a sweatshirt for a while but knowing me, I’ll change the attitude up there even with that and leave a mark.”

Stacey said she has a new home picked out and has checked out the schools, sports, art, dance and college scene. The town has a population of about 9,500 and is 248 kilometres northwest of Edmonton.

“If I need a fix, Edmonton is only 2 1/2 hours away,” she said, adding that while she will truly miss Revelstoke she is ready to “spread my wings and fly.”

An astute businesswoman who once served as president of the Revelstoke Chamber of Commerce, she plans on starting a new business in Slave Lake and has already touched base with the Chamber in that community.

Stacey will be leaving Revelstoke by Oct. 29. She will be missed.