G.J. Andrews Food & Wine Shoppe changes hands

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This article was published 03/02/2025 (570 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Blake Lelyk is an accomplished marketer, event planner, bartender and cook, but there’s one professional accomplishment that eluded him until this year.

“Since I was 14, I’ve wanted to have my own business,” he said.

That dream came true Jan. 20, when Lelyk, Nigel Dawes and Dave Huston assumed ownership of G.J. Andrews Food & Wine Shoppe in Winnipeg’s River Heights neighbourhood. The three partners bought the store from original owner George Andrews. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Located at 384 Academy Rd., G.J. Andrews sells specialty food items from around the world.

Its website boasts an in-store selection that includes more than 100 mustards, relishes and chutneys; more than 60 different barbecue sauces; more than 110 oils, vinegars and salad dressings; and 30 dessert toppings. There are more than 150 jams and marmalades, plus imported cheeses and chocolates. The store also offers choice cuts of Canadian grain-fed beef.

G.J. Andrews is one of only eight speciality stores authorized to sell wine and wine-based products in Manitoba. It has a selection of around 800 wines.

The licence was a draw for Lelyk, who has trained through the Wine and Spirit Education Trust program. He approached Andrews about buying the business two years ago; the conversation started getting serious in August, which is when Lelyk brought his partners on board.

Dawes was looking for a new venture two years after retiring from his career as a professional hockey player, which included three-plus seasons in the NHL, 10 in the Kontinental Hockey League and two in Germany.

“The timing for me and my wife, Cassie, was right to kind of jump into this with Blake and Dave,” said Dawes, 39. “Knowing Blake and his vision for the store, and what he wanted to make out of it, aligned with what we were thinking.”

Huston, 56, joined Lelyk and Dawes in the ownership group because he wanted to support the aspiring entrepreneurs.

“I’m very happy to have two young and energetic partners to get this business where it needs to go,” said Huston, who is the founder and co-owner of Providen Pharmacy Logistics Ltd.

The new owners want to expand the store’s wine selection and start hosting tasting events. They also plan to update the store’s website so every product is listed and available for sale online. Eventually, they will offer delivery and curbside pickup options.

One thing that won’t change, they say, is the attention the owners and their 13 employees pay to the store’s customers.

“We’ve already met a lot of customers coming through that have been coming here for decades,” Dawes said. “It’s been a lot of fun in the first two weeks and I think it will be a lot of fun going forward.”

“That’s been one of our goals: to actually know who’s coming in here,” Lelyk added. “(We want to) understand what they’re buying and what they like (about) the store, what they can see for changes to the store and kind of have everyone involved in our vision so we know we’re doing it the right way.”

Andrews said he is happy with the deal, though he will miss seeing his employees and customers on a regular basis.

Business has been especially good in the last several years, the 71-year-old said, with a dedicated staff who care about great customer service and run the 2,200-square-foot location like “a well-oiled machine.”

He looks forward to seeing what the new owners bring to G.J. Andrews.

“They’ve got good energy, they’ve got good contacts and they’re young,” he said. “I think they’re well-positioned to take it to another level and grow the business even more. And I think they’ll do well with it.”

Formerly a school teacher, Andrews opened the store with his sister, Peggy, in February 1987.

When the Manitoba government amended its liquor laws in 1994 so wine could be sold in select private stores, Andrews’ business was among the first to receive a licence.

On Nov. 24, 1994, he sold the first bottle of wine — legally — outside of any Crown corporation outlet. Andrews asked the customer to return the empty bottle of Chilean Cabernet and it has been displayed in the store ever since, along with a note detailing its historical significance.

aaron.epp@freepress.mb.ca