JAMESTOWN — Lifestyle Appliance & Entertainment Center received two awards in the 16th annual Best of the Jamestown Area awards. The business received first in the Best Appliance Store category and second in Best Retail Store.

Owners Toni and Colin Wegenast said they were honored that the voters appreciated them.

“I think it’s awesome that the community recognizes what we do, having the service after the sale, and just the different things that we’re involved with (in the community),” Colin said.

Toni noted that the Best Retail Store award was new for the business and exciting to get.

“It just goes to show you that our guys, from our sales guys up front to our delivery guys to our service guys, they all do a great job for our customers and us,” Colin said. “We really appreciate what they do for Lifestyle and for our customers. They have great product knowledge.”

Lifestyle Appliance & Entertainment Center carries all major household appliances, mattresses, hot tubs and Big Green Egg grills.

“We do have the accessories that go with a lot of the appliances we sell also,” Toni added, including chemicals for hot tubs and filters for refrigerators.

They carry products they believe in, she said.

“We try to stock stuff that we’d be comfortable putting in our own homes … we try to give people a nice variety of products and the companies that have been around a long time,” Colin said. “We have the technical knowledge to work on them. Our services guys are all trained to work on all the stuff we sell.”

Service after the sale is an important part of the business, they said.

The Wegenast family has owned Lifestyle Appliance & Entertainment Center for more than 47 years, since the summer of 1977 when LeRoy Wegenast purchased the business. Son Colin and his wife, Toni, now own the business, with a third generation, Noah, Colin and Toni’s son, also working there.

The Wegenasts are active in civic organizations as well.

Toni is a member of Kiwanis and serves on its board of directors; serves on the Safe Shelter Board of Directors and Executive Committee, on the Jamestown Community Foundation Board of Directors, is a past president of the Jamestown Area Chamber of Commerce, El Zagal Ladies Auxiliary member, Make-A-Wish North Dakota wish granter and All Vets Club volunteer.

Colin serves on the First Community Credit Union Board of Directors, is a member of the El Zagal Mystics and James Valley Shrine Club, and serves on the Jamestown Masonic Foundation.

“Community involvement is a huge deal to us because without the community support, we wouldn’t be here, so we try to give back and support the community as much as we can as well,” Toni said.

Their community involvement is also possible due to their employees, Colin said.

“Right now we have great employees that allow us the ability to go do stuff outside of work for community,” he said.

Lifestyle Appliance & Entertainment Center employs 11 full-time people including Toni and Colin. The business is open from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and can be reached at 252-8111.

Toni said they “thank the community for their continued support and their trust in us.”

“We plan to be here for a long, long time,” Colin said.

Kathy Steiner has been the editor of The Jamestown Sun since 1995. She graduated from Valley City State College with a bachelor’s degree in English and studied mass communications at North Dakota State University, Fargo. She reports on business, government and community topics in the Jamestown area. Reach her at 701-952-8449 or [email protected].