Nickel Belt News Volume Volume 58 59 Number • Issue 6 11
Friday,February March 16, 2018 Friday, 8, 2019
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Book a way to preserve andits pass on Myleen’s Treasures closing doors memories growing up in inbusiness Churchill after moreof than a decade BY KYLE DARBYSON
KYLE@THOMPSONCITIZEN.NET
per cent of sales.” While Tanner-Spence does feel bad about saddling the City Centre Mall with another empty space, especially after the closing of Don Johnson Jewellers in January, she maintains that Thompson is still rife with business opportunities. In particular, she believes that the closing of Myleen’s Treasures will give others the chance to sell speciality items like musical instruments. “If you looked at how many [instruments] I sold in a year and someone dedicates themselves to that I think it would be something that could carry its own weight.” Otherwise, Tanner-Spence wanted to thank her customers for all their years of loyal patronage, and wishes other northern business owners well on their future endeavours. “I feel sad that I’m leaving, for sure,” she said. “I lived in Thompson for years and years and it’s such a beautiful place to be and now there’s one less place for people to shop.”
The City Centre Mall in Thompson will be short another tenant in two months’ time, since Myleen’s Treasures is shutting down March 31. Owner Marilyn TannerSpence said she isn’t pulling the plug for financial reasons, since the business is still turning a profit. Instead, this decision was strictly personal. Tanner-Spence says she was forced to reevaluate her priorities after a second brush with cancer last summer almost claimed her life. “I was in a lot of pain and had a lot of blood that shouldn’t be coming out,” said Tanner-Spence, who is in better health now. “So it was just pretty scary and I made plans to, if I didn’t live past the summer, get my things in order and one of them was looking at all of my leases. The lease for Thompson was up so I just Nickel Belt News photos by Kyle Darbyson made arrangements to close.” Myleen’s Treasures in Thompson’s City Centre Mall will be closing its doors permanently March 31. To make life even simpler, the entrepreneur is also aiming to close her other business, Teekca’s Aboriginal Boutique, in Norway House sometime next year, although her location in Winnipeg will remain open under different management. However, Tanner-Spence isn’t completely abandoning Nickel Belt News photo by Ian Graham the world of business, and is Addictions Foundation of Manitoba northern director Gisele deMeulles has written a book about her experiences growing up, mostly in Churchill. currently drawing up plans to develop online store. BY IANan GRAHAM For all the harsh weather to write things that you have ‘Oh, I’m just as bad, right?’ was not a very safe thing swallow when people say “I haven’t quite looked at to figure out. It’s pretty clear I have all these stories and to do but I jumped at it. I that Churchill residents and the dangers of polar EDITOR@THOMPSONCITIZEN.NET what I’m going sell 100 per when I get through.” Though she’stonow written I need to capture them for thought that was exciting should just find somewhere bears, deMeulles said if it cent, but it would be more gifta book about her experienDeMeulles said she wrote my grandchildren really until the plane landed and easier to live. had been viable she would waregrowing stuff that sells her book, titled Whispers in because they will be lost if they started throwing the ces up Iinknow Churchill, “To say, ‘Those people have moved back to Churchthroughout north, so that’s Addictionsthe Foundation of the Wind: Stories from the I don’t.” fuel off and I realized, ‘Holy choose to live there. They ill in a heartbeat. what I’m focusing she North - Life in Churchill for Manitoba northernon,” director She also has a reputation cats, I was probably sitting should just leave,’ is quite “I miss the shoreline, I said. Gisele deMeulles said writ- a couple of reasons. as a storyteller herself. on a bomb.’” simplistic. It’s quite disre- miss the rock, I miss the opened ingTanner-Spence wasn’t something she “I just sort of thought, “I had such a varied hisAnother thing that spectful. If we were in the polar bears even though Myleen’s Treasures in the you know what, this his- tory and I would tell people spurred her on was the same boat in another area they’re very dangerous and always thought she would City Centre Mall around 15 tory, this stuff that’s in my stories and they would go, hard times facing Churchill I think we would scream I really miss the Hudson do. years a basic dollar head, it’s going to be gone ‘That’s not true, is it?’ I’d go, since the Hudson Bay Rail- about that so why don’t they Bay,” she says. “When I go “In ago my asyouth I never store. However, throughfelt good at writing,” she if I don’t write it down,” she ‘Yeah it’s true.’ They’d go, way suspended operations have the option to do that? back home, standing on the out the“But years, her Ibusiness said. when moved said. “My kids are not go- ‘You didn’t do all that, did north of Gillam last spring. I think right now they’re Hudson Bay looking out on model graduallytoevolved to ing to get it if I don’t do it you? You’ve got to be really to Thompson get into “It used to be a really feeling like they’re pawns the bay, it just gives you an encompass of and it’s something I’ve al- old.’ I was like, ‘No, actually thriving large community in a political game and that’s incredible sense. You feel so the school different of socialkinds work, products. at that point I had to write ways wanted my mom to I did all that before I was and it’s just dwindled down really sad for them because I small and you feel great.” stores really have do. My mom’s an elder and 27,’ and they went ‘What?’” to such a small population think the people of Churchfor“Dollar university and realized, Now that she’s got a‘Holy, hard I’m timenot making money bad at this, she’s an artist, she’s got so Looking back, some of now,” deMeulles says. ill really want to thrive. one book under her belt, if you don’t have the volume many wonderful stories be- those experiences are things right?’ I certainly developed Though she’s not there They’ve built their worlds deMeulles says she may try oflot people, so in weuniversity started to cause she always tells her she might not do again. a of skill any longer, her parents and there. How would we feel to produce another. bring in other products like stories at Parks Canada in and came out of there with “I did some pretty bizarre her sister and other family if someone came to you and “I have another book in the Manitobah Mukluks a very strong skill in and my Churchill and I’ve always stuff like fuel hauls into the members still are. said, ‘I’m sorry, you have to me,” she says. “It’s a darker guitars different writingand and confithings dencethat in hounded her, ‘Please, just high Arctic at -35,” said “My cousin owns the leave your home community story, more about personweren’t up thereI already,” she put it on tape, I will write it deMeulles. “It didn’t dawn hardware store there,” she and we’re going to displace al growth and struggles. my writing. write very said. made thethere. store for you because your story on me until after. That was a says. clear “So and that that’s it. It’s you somewhere else and all Maybe in the next five years more viable and our party secSome people say it’s kind of is going to be lost,’ and she’s very dangerous thing to do. Because of that, your loved ones and your it’s something I’ll focus on tion was the highest blunt or probably direct. I don’t tend never done it and I thought, Being on a plane full of fuel deMeulles finds it hard to history is gone?’” doing.”