Aust’s General Store is located in Big Beaver, Saskatchewan. Big Beaver is located in the rolling hills of the Saskatchewan’s Badlands (Big Muddy). This is about 2 hours Southwest of Regina, Saskatchewan. It is a turn-of-the-century rural community General Store that stays in existence because of the steady stream of small orders and the loyalty of their customers!

Etched in wood above the door are the words, “If We Don’t Have It, You Don’t Need  It”, but being a true Country General Store it should read, “If We Don’t Have It, We Will Get It for You”. Because of this loyalty to their customers and the always friendly small town atmosphere, this General Store has remained open while all other small town General Store’s have long closed their doors.

Aust’s General Store remains the hub of business and social contact for this little hamlet and the surrounding Community of Happy Valley Number 10. Aust’s General Store has outlived Big Beaver’s hotel, café, lumber-yard, pool-hall, garage, curling rink, school, elevators and railroad but still has a Post Office with a Post Mistress.

Since 1928 when the rail-road reached the end of its line and Big Beaver was founded, there has been a store in the hamlet. In 1928, Hornstien and Freedman built a small building just north of “Moon’s Hotel”. Moon, a Chinese immigrant, the locals soon realized “would take no guff”, had built the hotel and café. This later was purchased and made larger to include groceries by Gene Poywing (the first Chinese Immigrant to attempt ranching in Saskatchewan). He never lived to achieve this dream as he had an unfortunate death on a return visit to China. Poywing had sold his store and hotel to Roger and Clara Sabanski in 1944-45.

A year after Hornstien and Freedman built their original store they built a larger store. They hired Bill Black to operate the store. Art Freedman took over operation for himself after Bill Black moved on. Olav Veness bought the store and operated it until 1946, when it was sold to Harold and Georgia March. For a length of time there were three adjacent stores on the wide main street of Big Beaver.

In 1959, Roy Aust purchased from Roger Sabanski, the old store and hotel, and Harold March’s store along with the old corner store known as the Co-op and brought the three businesses into one. Roy and Lena Aust decided that they would invest money and energy into an area that was a part of them.

In 1976, Ron and Gail Aust took over the operation of the store. Today, they run it with the same values and small town friendliness people remember of a small town General Store. You can still get a cheap cup of coffee and hear all the stories that made Big Beaver and The Big Muddy famous! Aust’s General Store is approximately 4000 square feet and contains a little bit of everything. Ranging from groceries to salt licks and of course kids toys that take you back to a simpler time of life.

Even though the Aust’s General Store is not an official Saskatchewan Heritage Site it still has been recognized as a significant landmark in Saskatchewan.  In the book Building our Future, Published by Red Deer Press, (News Release - January 5, 2005), Joe Ralko, Author mentions the Aust’s General Store along with many Heritage Landmarks in Saskatchewan. We believe this is a great honor to be mentioned with these other significant Saskatchewan landmarks.

On-line shopping is being offered for some of the clothing that has become legendary and keeps Big Beaver on everyone’s mind. So, visit the On-line Store, and try and make it down to Big Beaver and the Big Muddy and visit History still in the making.

Authentic Big Beaver, Saskatchewan Clothing!