Trading in for a sweeter lifestyle

An architect and a horticulturist move to Mortlach and open a sweet shop.
No, it's not the opening line of joke.
Instead, it was a very real move for Teresa and Derek Wood, who left the Rocky Mountains of B.C. for a change in lifestyle.
"We wanted to leave the big city, the rat race, two hours of commuting to have our own thing - small town living," Teresa said.
For Derek, the move was about leaving dense population and too much rain, as well as his love of grasslands and boyhood experiences visiting with small town relatives.
With considerable research on the Internet, and travel, the couple knew a sweet shop with quality products was the business for them.
One of the store's anchor products is ice cream. The store offers the choice of 12 flavours of Cochrane, Alta.'s MacKay's Ice Cream.
Teresa knew the ice cream's reputation from her home town of Cochrane and "the lines of people from Calgary," an hour's drive away waiting for the treat that is made in small batches.
MacKay's Ice Cream started in 1948 and was sold around 1980. When the new owners scrapped the family recipe, two of James MacKay's daughters set up shop n 1983.
After a lengthy court battle a judge ruled the MacKays were entitled to use the recipe because the new owner had no use for it.
"Some people don't know the Mac Kay story and they say, 'Wow. this is really good ice cream,'" Teresa said.
Unique and local products are part of the Sweet Shoppe's theme, from beef jerky made in Tugaske to sour cherry chocolates from Lumsden to saskatoon berry treats from Keeler.
Old-fashioned, handmade rock candy, lollipops and sponge taffy are part of the early 1900s decor and the shop's childhood memories theme.
"Growing up in Victoria and visiting Seattle, I was used to the best old English candies and the best American candies," Derek said.
And he is hooked on a brand of sugar cane sweetened soda pop the Wood's sell that uses natural barks as ingredients.
"I can't go back to regular pop after this."
Cowboy Coffee, a blend he discovered in a northern B.C working farm restaurant, is ground on site.
The shop has Cowgirl Chocolates, in flavours from dark milk to tequila mint.
One section of the shop is devoted to home decor, bath products and hand made Peruvian jewelry.
The shop is open seven days a week until 10 p.m. but the owners plan to do missionary work in Mexico from January to Easter next year.

Ron Walter can be reached at 691-1264.