Bridgeland Market shines while other corner stores are going the way of the dodo

Fresh-baked cookies, cheese from around the world and pints of organic ice cream are just a few of the treats visitors will find at Bridgeland Market, one of a vanishing breed of family-run corner stores slowly fading from the Calgary landscape.

Run by the Traya family, which also operates Tazza Deli & Grill across the street, Bridgeland Market, like Lukes Drug Mart a few blocks away, has actually grown with the times to become a community mainstay.

Calgary corner store a staple to Bridgeland community, more

Community Cornerstones series: A look at Calgary and area's rich history of both new and old corner stores.

Little did Jim Lukes know when he opened a drug mart on the corner of First Avenue and Fourth Street N.E. in Bridgeland, it would grow to span three generations and change with the community around it.

"The store was started in 1951 by my grandfather Jim Lukes. My dad (Bob) took over in about 1985 and I've been running it probably about six or seven years," said Gareth Lukes, calling from Vancouver where Lukes has just opened its fourth location (the other two are in Killarney and Renfrew).