Rocky Mountain Antique Mall

It’s a collector’s dream come true! The Rocky Mountain Antique Mall in Edmonton is home to over 80 antique and collectible shops located inside a large 12,000 square foot showroom.

In the mall, antique enthusiasts can find everything from vintage house wares, such as fine china, porcelain, silver, pewter, and glass; to period art and furnishings for the home and garden. There are also vendors selling jewelry, Victorian glass, rare LPs, old postcards and numerous other collectibles.

No wonder Rocky Mountain is dubbed “Alberta’s favorite antiques & collectibles mall.

Richard Anderson, an avid collector himself, opened the antique showroom eight years ago with a business partner.

“I have been interested in antiques for a long time,” says Richard, who manages the mall and a part-time staff of six.

“This mall concept for antiques was popular in the United States, but Edmonton didn’t have anything like it, so I decided to create a place where all these antique vendors could sell their wares.”

The concept has proven successful. The Rocky Mountain Antique Mall is openly daily and attracts large crowds of shoppers and collectible enthusiasts.

“It’s a one-stop shop for collectors,” he says.

Richard also had another recent company success: He switched from his longtime telecommunications provider to Allstream Small Business and saw his phone bill drop by $80 a month.

“That is quite a big savings for a small firm,” he points out.

Allstream Small Business offers affordable telecommunications solutions that cater to the needs of start-ups, and smaller and growing companies.

“I had seen ads for Allstream Small Business but I thought it was for bigger companies than one such as mine,” admits Richard. “My needs are pretty basic. But a representative called me up and gave me a quote and the cost-savings made me switch.”

Customers can choose from one of four service “bundles”, depending on their phone and Internet requirements, so they never pay for services they don’t need. The bundles range from simple two-line phone service to larger multiple phone line and Internet packages so it covers the wide range of small business needs. This keeps the price cost-effective and the service flexible, as company’s can customize their bundle by adding individual phone, fax, or Internet tools based on their specific requirements.

Richard chose a Phone + Net 1 bundle with two phone lines and high speed Internet access. There are also numerous value-added products and services included in the package price, such as 1,000 U.S. and Canadian long distance minutes, two calling features applied to both lines, five e-mail accounts, and personalized Internet domain name.

Allstream Small Business Bundles are also hassle-free: Rocky Mountain Antique Mall got to keep the same phone number after the switchover, and Richard receives one monthly bill for all his phone and Internet services to keep accounting simple.

Beyond the savings, Richard says another reason he made the switch to Allstream Small Business is because he was frustrated with the customer service he received from his previous provider.

“When I phoned, I could never get a person on the other end of the line, or a return call,” he says.

This isn’t the case with Allstream Small Business. The sales team can be reached from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and the customer service centre offers 24-hour support.

“With Allstream Small Business, the customer service is really good,” says Richard. “ I called them up, there was a real person to talk to -- not a computer. And the switchover was effortless. I didn’t have to worry about anything. It just happened.”