Alberta-based Sweet Home boutique and café announces reopening

A café/boutique chain that closed and left many with worthless gift cards, prompting a police probe, says it will reopen.

Owners of an Alberta boutique and café company have announced plans to reopen just weeks after saying they’d have to permanently close.

There are several Sweet Home locations in Alberta, including Sweet Home on Main in Stettler and Sweet Home on the Lake in Sylvan Lake.

Owners Cody and Eva Borek announced the closure of all of the locations via social media on Monday, Feb. 3.

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The announcement came months after the company asked customers to buy gift cards so they could raise $400,000 to help them solve an infrastructure problem with their Sylvan Lake location.

Many customers answered that call and spent hundreds of dollars on gift cards they had yet to redeem, sparking public outcry.

On Feb. 4, Sylvan Lake RCMP received an allegation of fraudulent business practices involving Sweet Home on the Lake and began investigating.

On Feb. 18, Cpl. Troy Savinkoff with Alberta RCMP told CTV, “This investigation is still open and ongoing.”

“Sylvan Lake RCMP continue to investigate after receiving reports of fraud.”

On Friday, social media posts shared from both Sweet Home on the Lake in Sylvan Lake and Sweet Home on Main in Stettler indicated the stores will be “opening again very soon.”

“Sweet Home has found the backing of a partner (whose) greatest strengths are our weakness. A partner, who (believed) in the impact and service we could be providing to our community,” read the posts.

“Sweet Home is coming back. And it’s coming back better then ever before.”

There’s no word on the future of shops in Red Deer, Canmore and Drumheller.

CTV has made multiple attempts to connect with Sweet Home, but has not received a response.

Dozens of customers have already used their gift cards at other Sylvan Lake businesses, which offered some compensation.

White Frog Café allows customers to use the gift cards for 50 per cent off purchases.

“They were just happy to be able to use them somewhere because they were basically useless,” said Kelly McMillan, White Frog Café owner.

McMillan said it has brought many new customers.

The same happened at Lakeshore Café, which offered a free coffee to any impacted customer or staff member.

“There’s a lot of new faces every day,” said Gigi Soliman, Lakeshore Café owner

Customers have reacted to Sweet Home’s reopening announcement with a range of emotions.

“I’ve heard that they might be reviving and I really hope so,” said Susan Kissner, a Sylvan Lake resident.

“Oh, I know there’s lots of people upset, though we don’t know the story behind what’s happening, so I would reserve my judgment.”

“(Some people are) mad or upset, but some of them are happy to see them back,” said Soliman.

Some former customers are feeling cautious.

“It’s just a mixed bag of what they think about the situation, but who knows how long it will take to get the customers back and stuff? I don’t know,” said McMillan.