WESTLOCK – After 43 years in the business of engraving trophies and plaques for groups both near and far, Barb Tiegs has decided it is time to retire and has sold as her business, B-J Trophies and Gifts, to the owner of the bowling alley.
Barb and Don Tiegs moved to Westlock from Edson in 1973 where he continued working with Trans-Alta Utilities — they bought both a house and the alley in 1975.
“The bowling alley was how we got into the trophy business,” she said. “We began the business with an engraving machine (a very manual pantograph machine she still uses) in our son’s bedroom at night at the start, and later, when Apollo Pizza moved out from above the bowling alley, we moved the trophy business here.
“It was a pleasure to come in here and have room to move, because we were getting too busy at home,” she recalls. “We did everything by hand on the old pantograph. We’ve come a long way since then, I’ll tell you.”
How did Barb and Don Tiegs (he has since passed away) come about the name, B-J Trophies? They had two sons, Brent and Chris, and a daughter, Janis. Don and Chris’ middle names were James. So, to include the whole family in the business name, and yet keep it simple and easy for people to remember, they used the initials B and J.
“I’ve had an interesting life in Westlock,” she said. “And I have enjoyed the work and my customers. But now, I feel it is time to move on and to enjoy the rest of my time. I don’t know for sure where I’m going. My kids want me to go to Red Deer where they’re living and that’s probably where I’ll go.”
The current bowling alley owners, Don and Sue Cloutier, have purchased B-J Trophies which she says is a natural fit. In fact the phone number and location will remain as its always been.
“It goes hand in hand. We started with the bowling alley and started the trophy shop. They have the bowling alley now so it just seemed to be a good fit. Your busy time in the bowling alley is a quiet time here, and the busy time here is a quiet time there,” she said.
Although she officially “retires” March 1 she’ll still be “around off and on for probably two months, I’m thinking. If it gets too busy for Sue, I will be here to help.”
As the Cloutiers step into this new venture, Don says they’ll do their best to fill some “big shoes.”
“I hope we can give the same service that she did. That’s our goal,” he said.
With the pandemic, the trophy shop has been pretty quiet the past couple of years, and Tiegs was on the verge of quitting a year ago already, because there wasn’t much coming in.
“You can’t sell a business when there’s nothing happening,” she said. “So, there was no point putting it out for sale. But business is starting to come back.
“We served a big area, and I have to be honest, it’s been a great business — a second-string business. It’s certainly not a big enough business to maintain a family, but it’s been a good business. The customer base has been great. I have some great, great customers. My customer base has been very faithful to the cause, and I hope they will continue to be (faithful) with Don and Sue, because I’m sure they will give good service.”
During the earlier years with the bowling alley, she also organized bowling bus tours and tour guide for about 20 years with seniors around Alberta and Saskatchewan and in the U.S. to places like Branson, Missouri and the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee.
“It was a big job and lots of responsibilities,” she recalls, adding that having good drivers was a big help.
