A jolly good find in Delia
By Kate Winquist
Sometimes, the most extraordinary adventures come unexpectedly in surprising places. On Saturday, August 19, I thought my day was complete. After all, I had made my inaugural trip to Byemoor for their parade and slowpitch tournament, a journey through Endiang and Craigmyle, who are hometowns of a couple of my favourite Toronto Maple Leafs players – Darcy Tucker and Lanny McDonald. (Yes, I cheer for the Maple Leafs. What's it to ya?)
I could have turned left and headed back to Saskatchewan through Hanna, but I decided to turn right onto Highway 9 and travel a few kilometres to the small village of Delia. I stopped and took pictures of the elevator and a few older buildings on the main drag. I took a tour of the Delia Museum and was about to go on my way when I spotted a bearded man who appeared to be staining some fence boards in front of a hall. Admittedly, I was curious, but should I stop? I circled the block and thought, what the heck? Let's see what this guy is up to.
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As I exited my vehicle, the sounds of country twang filled the air, coming through a speaker at the front of the building. The bearded man greeted me with a friendly hello, and soon after, an equally friendly woman came out of the building with a cheerful welcome. I glanced up at the sign on the door, and in small print, I read – The Jolly Penny Trading Company – a business that Tommy Fleger and his partner Amber Kenney opened in May of this year.
The couple, who reside in Okotoks and Chestermere, purchased the property in Delia in January and have been busy renovating, inside and out. Their store is the former Arrowana schoolhouse, which was moved by the Masons in 1941 when most of the town of Delia burned down.
Tommy was, in fact, staining the fence boards he had purchased on the marketplace. A son was selling them for his recently passed father. They had been sitting in a garage since the 1980s and have the Alberta Wild Rose routered into the board. Tommy and Amber have been staining and painting the individual roses by hand.
I inquired about what brought them to Delia. Amber explained that Tommy's grandfather was in WWII, and he was born in Delia in 1913. Tommy never met his grandfather and didn't know anything about him except that he was a gunner and his plane went down. After some research, they connected with some relatives and now have a family cookbook with stories in it about him.
At this point, I still didn't know what to expect when I walked through the doors of The Jolly Penny Trading Company. I was sure in for a treat! The stairs leading up to the entryway were stencilled in capital letters ... UPHOLSTERY, ANTIQUES, DECOR, GIFTS, ODDITIES and SWINE!
Tommy is a professional upholsterer. He does upholstery and repairs on furniture, aviation, automotive, marine, commercial and residential applications. Amber is also learning the trade. Their store carries a variety of unique and everyday items, gifts, crafts, art and more. That brings us to the swine – it turns out that The Jolly Penny Trading Company was named after Tommy's pet potbellied pig, Penny, who sadly passed away last year at the age of 12. The front area has a guest book, a photo of Penny, and other memorabilia.
One of their neighbours enters the store carrying fresh carrots and beets from his garden. "That will be supper tonight," exclaimed Amber, who tells me that the people of Delia have been so welcoming since their arrival.
Before we head to the central part of the store, I can't help but laugh at the sign that reads, "Unruly children will be fed to the Kraken!" As I walked through the doorway, my mouth must have dropped open, and I believe I exclaimed, "Awesome!" Working with a pirate theme, Tommy and Amber have created something extraordinary. There is literally something for everyone, from beautifully upholstered furniture, antiques, stuffies, jewellery and even a "Fake News" magnet. I assured them that The Hanna Sentinel was not fake news, and they agreed to let me take their photo!
The next time you are driving west along Highway 9, be sure to take the Delia access, you'll be glad you did. It was indeed a jolly good find.