‘A dream come true’: Regina business owners ecstatic as Dewdney Avenue reopens

Business owners along Dewdney Avenue were all smiles as cars and pedestrians passed by on the road that reopened Monday after years under construction. 

The section of the road — in the North Central area between Albert and Broad streets, also known as the Warehouse District — was part of the City of Regina’s two-year, $67.5-million revitalization project. The work was aimed at making the area more vibrant and safe for residents.

The transformation was from the ground up and included the installation of new water mains, street lighting, traffic lights and upgraded sidewalks and roads, said Mayor Chad Bachynski at an event unveiling the new road Monday.

"It's like a dream come true,” said Grant Frew, bar and marketing manager of Bushwakker Brewpub. 

“We've been waiting for this day for so long, and when I arrived at work here this morning and saw the cars driving by and people parked on Dewdney [Avenue], it's just like life had returned. It was so fantastic.”

Frew said the last five years have been especially challenging for the business, but he decided to remain positive and connect with his customers over social media. 

“We decided we would just update people on how the construction was going,” Frew said. 

“Much to our surprise, we found that thousands and thousands of people were really interested in what was going on.”

Frew said people who had never been to Regina started to recognize the name Dewdney by following along with his content. When he got the news that the road would be reopening last week, he decided to do a giveaway post, which he said racked up more than 300,000 views and 1,000 comments. 

Up the road, Mark Heise, president and owner of Rebellion Brewing Company, woke up with relief and excitement. 

"Everyone's already talking about the future, what's to come, all that sort of stuff. The future is bright. Warehouse District, Dewdney is the place to be,” he said. 

The street's reopening comes after years of challenges and looking for different ways to connect with customers. Heise also said has been posting videos to social media to promote his business. 

Rebellion Brewing, located on the corner of Dewdney Avenue and Broad Street, was completely blocked off by construction for months at a time. 

“We couldn't just sit on our hands and wait for the city and hope that things would work out and hope that customers would come,” Heise said.