Contest to award ownership of Cardston, Alta., business closes

Ivan and Marsh Negrych have owned the Cobblestone Manor for the past 20 years and now want to find a new owner for the business who will love it as much as they do.

Better luck next time.

Those looking to win a small business in a small southern Alberta town will need to wait for a different opportunity after the owners of Cardston's Cobblestone Manor said they did not reach the goal in their contest.

On Jan. 15, the bed and breakfast's current owners Ivan and Marsha Negrych launched a new effort to pass on their business to a new entrepreneur.

To participate in the campaign, the Negrychs asked for entrants to submit a well-written essay along with a $500 fee.

The paper was to outline their vision for the 102-year-old property.

The contest deadline closed on Monday and the Cobblestone Manor's Facebook page it did not collect the 3,000 letters it wanted to.

"We did not reach our goal, but a lot of people had a blast writing and sending in entry letters," the post read.

The business said all the entry money was refunded to participants and it is open to the idea of speaking with anyone interested in buying or leasing the property or simply "just running it."

Interested parties are encouraged to reach out to the business directly.

CTV News has reached out to the Negrychs for further details about the contest.

They have been looking for a new owner for the business since at least 2019, when they launched their first essay contest.

Cardston is located approximately 236 kilometres southeast of Calgary and 78 kilometres southwest of Lethbridge.