In partnership with
Today's issue is all about the people behind the businesses in our towns!
We're featuring three of them this week: a music school marking 40 years in Leduc, a husband-and-wife brewery in Devon, and a Leduc shop that keeps landscapers, arborists and snowblower owners running.
Shopping local is easy to say and harder to do. Here are three good places to start.
Leduc School of Music and Art: 40 years of "learning music is fun here"
The Leduc School of Music is celebrating 40 years this year. Its tagline has always been "learning music is fun here," and looking back on four decades, the school says it's still having fun.
Lynn Szott started the school in 1986, and Magdalena Melax has owned it since 2005. In that time, thousands of local students have come through its doors for instrument lessons and group classes like rock bands and musical theatre.
The school has kept growing. In 2022, it bought the Turner Guitar Studio and moved that store from downtown Leduc to the school's location across from the grain elevator. That's when the name changed to the Leduc School of Music and Art. Today the building is home to the school and Leduc's Own Music Shop.
What's on offer:
Private lessons on a wide range of instruments, for kids and adults
Music for Young Children (parents and kids learn together, piano-based) and a preschool music class
Rock Band and Musical Theatre classes
A structured art program that builds foundational skills
Registration starts with a conversation: contact the office and they'll match you with the right teacher or class. If someone in your house has been asking about guitar lessons since the summer, this is a good week to call.
4703 53 Avenue, Leduc, across from the Leduc Grain Elevator
(780) 986-3500
Next 5 Brewing: a family brewery built for everyone
Next 5 Brewing in Devon is run by Kellen and Gwen, who live in town with their four kids. Kellen brews every beer on site. Gwen handles "all the bits n bobs": design, marketing, bookkeeping and staffing.
The taproom pours ten taps that rotate, plus local ciders, wine and non-alcoholic options. If you've been once, the lineup has probably changed since. For food, they're currently serving Battista's Calzones.
Here's what makes it stand out: the brewery is fully accessible. It was designed with help from Kellen's dad, Ron Wickman, an architect who specializes in accessible design. Whether you use a wheelchair or walker, or you're just pushing a stroller, the space was built with you in mind.
And yes, kids are welcome with a parent or guardian. In Gwen's words: "We have a lot of fun! A very welcoming place to come for a beer."
Coming up at Next 5:
Taco truck, Friday Oct 16, 6:00 to 9:00 p.m.
Open Mic Night, Saturday Oct 24, 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. If you play, bring your instrument.
They just wrapped up their Oktoberfest celebration, so it's a good time to drop in and see what Kellen has on tap next.
17 Athabasca Ave, Unit 102B, Devon
Wed and Thu 3:00 to 9:00 p.m., Fri and Sat 12:00 to 11:00 p.m., Sun 2:00 to 6:00 p.m. Closed Mon and Tue.
Green Thumb Supply Co.
If you run a landscaping crew, take down trees for a living, or just want your snowblower to start on the first cold morning, Green Thumb Supply Co. is worth knowing about.
The Leduc shop carries professional landscaping tools, arborist supplies and small engine parts, and it does small engine repair. Its customers' reviews are enthusiastic. One wrote that "It's great having a Stihl dealer back in Leduc!" and another called the staff "great people."
Right now their focus is winter, with a 2026 lineup of snow throwers and Stihl and Echo backpack blowers built for Alberta winters. If you've spent too many January mornings at the end of a shovel, they'd like a word.
Handy for anyone who works days: they're open until 7:00 p.m. every Thursday.
#4, 6109 45 Street, Leduc
Mon to Wed and Fri 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Thu 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Sat 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
(780) 986-0073 | [email protected] | greenthumbsupply.ca
Quick Reminders This Week
Thursday, 7:30 p.m.: Leduc at Beaumont high school football, Beaumont Multi-Use Turf Field. Beaumont is 4-0 and Leduc is 3-1. Remember, it moved up from Friday.
Friday and Saturday: Quiltfest at the Leduc Recreation Centre (Fri 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Sat 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.)
Friday, 10:00 a.m.: Nickelback tickets go on general sale for April 3 at Rogers Place
Friday, 7:30 p.m.: Elks vs. Winnipeg, the last regular-season home game. A win clinches first in the West.
Saturday and Sunday: Devon Fall Treasure Hunt, and Boo at the Zoo begins
Want your business featured?
We love telling the stories behind local businesses in Leduc, Beaumont and Devon. Tell us who you are, what you do and what's new, and send a photo or two. We'll take it from there.
[email protected] | Serving Leduc, Beaumont and Devon
The Best Marketing Angle You’ve Never Tried
Everyone wants a marketing hack that makes growing their business easier.
But according to business guru @MarketingMax (9 figures in attributable revenue delivered to clients), one of the best no-cost marketing hacks is finding the one angle that makes people foam at the mouth wanting what you sell.
Lucky for you @MarketingMax put together a quick 2-page Google Doc breaking down how to find yours in 10 minutes, with 20+ real examples you can steal from.