For Karl Mueller it’s a long awaited homecoming. He and his wife Jenni are the proud new owners of El Con Enterprises, known for a very long time as Belco Service, in downtown Bella Coola.
“I actually grew up in Bella Coola and lived here until about grade six,” Mueller said. “Our family moved away after that, but it’s always been like a home to me.”
Karl and Jenni decided to rename the business after their former logging company, which was also called El Con Enterprises. The word “el con” means “tomorrow” in the Tsilqhot’in language, although Muelller isn’t entirely sure that translation is totally accurate or has morphed over time. Either way, the name stuck.
“We owned a logging company in Mackenzie for over 20 years and it was called El Con Enterprises,” Mueller explained. “We just decided to keep the name.”
The couple, who acquired the business on Christmas Eve, have been slowly renovating the store front and making improvements here and there. They have a full service automotive shop with a certified mechanic and a second-year apprentice, as well as the store and the small engine repair.
They also own a large warehouse near the wharf which they plan to turn into a marine repair centre in the future.
The shop is now open six days a week, so drop in and check it out in downtown Bella Coola.
