From left: Gloria Sanderson, her granddaughter Leah Whitehead and Dwight's former partner Keeshia Ray. (Teena Monteleone/paNOW)

By paNOW Staff

Dwight's Coffeehouse

New coffee shop celebrates family legacy and Indigenous entrepreneurship

Jun 13, 2025 | 8:00 AM

Dwight’s Coffee House is serving homemade bannock and soup, cinnamon buns, scones, fresh coffees and espressos; but it’s also brewing hope and inspiration by transforming a family’s grief into a source of unity and strength.

The new coffee shop opened earlier this week on Central Avenue in downtown Prince Albert. It’s named in honour of Gloria Sanderson’s son, Dwight Whitehead, whom she lost to tragic circumstances two years ago.

“My son passed away, and I wanted to do something different. I had a vision to try and inspire and motivate other people, like my granddaughters, women and Indigenous people,” said Sanderson.

Noticing a lack of Indigenous owned brick and mortar businesses in Prince Albert, Sanderson sought support for her vision from Community Futures, the Saskatchewan Indigenous Enterprise Foundation and Firecircle, which is a national training and mentorship organization for tourism and hospitality industry entrepreneurs.

“If you want to do something, now’s the time. Just jump on the wagon and go, like I did. I felt so supported,” said Sanderson. “You’re just going to have to dig in and do what you have to do.”

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Leah Whitehead (left) is working alongside her grandma Gloria Sanderson at a coffee shop inspired by her late father Dwight. (Teena Monteleone/paNOW)

Sanderson said opening a café wasn’t something she had thought about prior to her son’s passing, but she became inspired, in part, by the feasts she cooked to bring her family together after he was gone. Her husband did the renovations at the shop, and the mother of Dwight’s daughters, Keeshia Ray is helping with customer service, along with their two daughters when they aren’t in school.

“It’s heartwarming. It brings us all together, since we lost the girls’ Dad,” said an emotional Ray. “My girls have been working as hard as they can every day.

I really want all of our Indigenous people to know that it can happen and we’re just exactly like everybody else.”

Dwight’s Coffeehouse is located at 1317 Central Avenue in downtown Prince Albert. (Teena Monteleone/paNOW)

Just a few days in, Ray and Sanderson said they’ve been getting good support from the public, eager to try a new local spot. They have bigger plans in the future to include board game events and more menu items. For now, the family will focus on building their clientele and sharing the story of how Dwight’s Coffeehouse came to be.

“I just want people to break free of themselves and go for your goals. You know…do it. You have a vision…do it,” said Sanderson.

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panews@pattisonmedia.com