Family seeks heritage designation for Delton store

For Harjinder Sokhal, the Delton Grocery store is not just a business, it’s part of the family.

Sokhal, the youngest of three siblings, was about 14 years old when his family purchased the grocery store at the corner of 88 Street and 122 Avenue back in 2001. He and his siblings would often help their parents at the store on the weekends. When Sokhal was old enough, he started working behind the counter.

“It has been a part of us for a very long time,” he said. “We did initially (hire outside help) for the first year, just to get used to the community because we were all immigrants. So we did have some part-time help for a year but then we just did it as a family.”

While Sokhal has moved on to start a career of his own, his father, Kulwinder Sokhal, still works diligently at the store.

Harjinder Sokhal said his family isn’t going anywhere, as they feel very connected to the community around them. His father described the relationship with the community as a friendship.

“Dealing with our family, they know us,” Kulwinder Sokhal said. “We’re trying to provide them good service and they like to come here and talk to us.”

Delton Grocery has been a staple of the neighbourhood long before the Sokhals even arrived in Canada in 2000. Originally built around 1914, the store first operated as a meat market and continued to serve as a type of grocery store over most of the decades. Between the 1930s and 1950s, it acted as a home.

The one-storey building features a wood frame as well as an identifiable low-pitched gable roof, rectangular plan and boom town front.

The Sokhals hope to have the store designated a municipal historic resource and have committed to keeping the iconic look.

City council is expected to make a decision during its Sept. 24 meeting.

David Johnston, the principal heritage planner with the city, said if the store is approved, the city will provide a grant of about $43,000 to help rehabilitate it.

“There’s stucco under the vinyl so part of the rehabilitation work is going to be removing the vinyl siding and putting wood siding,” he said.

“The windows are all going to be replaced with new windows but they will all be wood and designed to be more period correct. The roof will be redone. Effectively, we will be bringing the building back to a much earlier appearance.”

The Sokhals will have to start work on the rehabilitation first and then submit invoices and proof of payment to the city. Johnston said the family will have about three years to do the work so that it can be phased in over a period of time.

“It has been a functioning grocery store of some configuration on this property for over a century at this location, which is pretty impressive for Edmonton,” he added.