Drayton Valley had to endure a few brutal years, confronted with the double whammy of slumping oil prices and the COVID-19 pandemic, but now the western Alberta town is back to being a booming community once again.
The Foxwood Inn and Suites eked through the last few years with a skeleton staff of three, but now they’re up to 11 to meet a huge demand.
“It really feels good,” explained Jay Ji, the hotel’s manager. “We are picking up some revenues — finally. For two or three years, we almost went bankrupt actually, but now we have some good news.
“Right now, I wish I had more rooms actually. We have 79 rooms but every day is sold out, right until the second week of March.”
Ji said the phone keeps ringing and he has to turn people away.
Meanwhile, the owner of the Local Collective is seeing a similar boost.
“The last two months have been the busiest two months in the last three years of business,” explained Richelle Houston.
“It’s been amazing so far. We notice so many new people, new faces.”
She said the store’s homemade, ready-to-go meals are flying off the shelves as workers in the area look for fast-food options.
Houston is optimistic the boom is here to stay, at least for a few years.
“I don’t think it’s going to slow down anytime soon,” she said.
“We’ve been waiting for it, obviously — a small oilfield town. We need this.”
Nearby, the White Bull Cafe is also bustling.
“We’ve gone back to almost exactly the way we were before the pandemic,” said owner Sam Ichtay.
He said when the province lifted vaccination requirements, everything got busier.
“It’s a great town. It’s our home – you bet. And it’s open for business. Absolutely,” he said.
“The oil and gas and forest industry have been thriving, and so therefore, our hotels, restaurants and retail shops are busy,” Mayor Nancy Dodds said.
In 2021, she said 30 businesses either opened or expanded, and in the first two months of 2022, there’s been another 10.
That growth and energy is attracting more families and workers to the energy town.
“Usually we have about 90 houses listed on the market here in the town of Drayton Valley,” explained councillor and realtor Colin Clarke. “Right now, we have about half that. It just speaks to the influx of people.”
He said people are moving to the area from all over the country to take advantage of lower — but much improved — housing prices.
“It’s been a difficult last couple years, and I just think people’s mental health and spirits have been down,” Dodds said. “So it’s fantastic to see our community buzzing and busy and the smiles on people’s faces.”
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