‘Bright side’ of north side of city

RURAL MUNICIPALITY OF WEST ST. PAUL — For the first time, Dorothy Kucel isn’t dreading the snow.

This past spring, the 39-year-old opened Happy’s Sim Play Social in West St. Paul. Featuring sports simulators, arcade games, a restaurant and bar, Happy’s aims to be a gathering place for people of all ages.

Business was slow during the summer, Kucel said, and understandably so — Manitoba summers are short and many people were outside making the most of it. But now that temperatures are dropping and the days are getting shorter, Kucel has noticed more people coming through the doors at Unit 20 in the AWC Business Center at 1051 Kapelus Dr.

“I’m really looking forward to winter,” Kucel said. “(That’s) the first time I’ve ever said that.”

Despite its name, Happy’s was born out of frustration.

Kucel lives in the RM of St. Andrews and her children go to school in Winnipeg. Whenever they’re invited to a birthday party, she said, it’s usually at a venue in the south end of the city — often requiring Kucel to drive 45 minutes one way.

One day, she returned from a party and asked her husband: how great would it be if there was something for families to do that was only 10 or 15 minutes away from their house?

“We just wanted to do something for the north side of the city,” Kucel said.

The 7,650-square-foot space includes three dedicated golf simulators that give players 30 real-life courses to choose from. “As you can tell by our dinged-up walls already, we welcome all levels of golfers,” Kucel said, pointing out a few dents in the partitions between the bays.

The simulators also include interactive games family and friends can play together, including one that riffs on Tic-Tac-Toe and another inspired by the popular video game Angry Birds.

Across from the dedicated golf simulators are two multisport simulators where patrons can play just about any sport imaginable. There are also first-person shooter games where players dispatch ducks, zap zombies or assassinate aliens.

On the other side of the hall are racecar simulators and arcade games so the friendly competition can continue. The restaurant serves a variety of handheld foods — including vegan, dairy- and gluten-free items — and the bar stocks local craft beer and offers a few cocktail options.

Kucel spent about two years and almost $1 million getting everything ready for the soft opening in June. She and her 20 employees marked the grand opening last month with a day-long celebration.

Kucel chose the name Happy’s as a tribute to Happy Gilmore — the fictional golfer portrayed by Adam Sandler in the 1996 comedy film of the same name and its 2025 sequel — and because it reflects her outlook on life.

“I’m a very positive person,” she said. “I always see the bright side of stuff.”

Kucel and her husband previously operated Swank Event Rentals, which supplied party equipment for a range of events, from weddings to the 2015 Grey Cup. They sold the business shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic reached Manitoba.

Before Swank, Kucel had been a waitress at the Larters at St. Andrews Golf & Country Club for 10 years.

Kucel hopes Happy’s becomes a local hangout. “We are a very casual, laid back, be yourself kind of place,” she said.

West St. Paul has around 6,700 residents according to the 2021 census, but Mayor Peter Truijen believes that number is now closer to 8,000.

“I think (Happy’s is) a great opportunity for families to come along and participate in an activity together,” Truijen said.

“For those avid golfers, they can continue to come to West St. Paul (in the winter) and practise their golf techniques.”

Happy’s joins a mix of tenants in the AWC Business Center, including an engineering company, interior designer, home contractors, medical clinic and popular toffee business Utoffea.

AWC Builders built the mall in 2019. It includes 26 units, which are home to 19 tenants (some use multiple units).

There are currently two spaces available for lease, said Steven Paulus, principal with commercial real estate agency Avison Young.

aaron.epp@freepress.mb.ca