This Lakeland College alumna's career is soaring thanks to faith, taking chances and having a whole lot of heart.

At the northeast corner of 46 Street and 52 Avenue in Lloydminster, Alta., there's a worn bench that Delia Morgan-Tetz often occupied in the early years of her working career. While she enjoyed her morning coffee and the occasional lunch break, she'd manifest visions of owning the little white house situated across the intersection.

“I used to stare at the house and dream about what I could do with it. It always bothered me that I didn't own it, so I bought it when I had the chance,” says Morgan-Tetz.

Morgan-Tetz graduated from Lakeland's marketing program when it was offered at the Vermilion campus in 2002. After a few years in the workforce, she earned an advanced business administration diploma as well as a bachelor of commerce through Athabasca University in 2007.

After purchasing the house and renting it out to tenants for years, the economic downturn in 2015 gave Morgan-Tetz the push to retrofit the dwelling into 900 square feet of fun and move in her nomad business, Walkn on Water Toy Shop, which officially opened in July 2017.

“I know there are so many more entrepreneurs like myself out there who have ideas and dreams. But I remember reading once that a dream is always a dream unless you put it into action. For years I was stuck in the dream of never moving forward. There's risk in it all, and you have to want to take the risk. I'm happy I did.”

Before the little white house, Morgan- Tetz established Walkn On Water at trade shows across the region. She then grew her business model and utilized an old school bus, which she would drive to summer events on weekends. This earned her the nickname Ms. Frizzle.

Morgan-Tetz ran the business in a part-time capacity - consistently torn between making a living based on stability or a dream.

“There's safety in a full-time job with decent pay and benefits,” she says.

As the business grew, so did Morgan-Tetz's desire to be at the store. She hired part-time workers to help with the daily operations when she was at work and then worked in the evenings.

“I had a full-time job making good money with health benefits, so dropping that to pursue this full-time took a big leap of faith. Hence why it's called Walkn On Water. I've trusted God through this whole time.

“I wanted to give my full-time job 100 per cent, but the more the shop grew, the more my heart wanted to be there. It was so empowering to finally say I'm just going to trust God with all this and give this business my undivided attention.”

The unique toy shop has always boasted an eclectic selection of toys, games, books and more because of Morgan-Tetz's passion for people of all ages and her love for fun. Equipped with the learning opportunities from her grandparents' and parents' experiences running department stores, Morgan-Tetz is happy to be building on her family's retail legacy and venturing out on her own.

“I think that's why my business is thriving because I'm here now. I can listen to what my customers want and see their reaction to the toys I put so much effort to bring in.”

Even with expanding her business by opening a Wainwright, Alta. location in 2019, Morgan-Tetz says the business has never been better since the COVID-19 pandemic started.

“There's a huge push to shop local right now, and that has helped us. I've found people are looking for that intimate shopping experience, and people aren't traveling to the bigger centres for special occasion gifts. I think we've been able to cater to that.”

Morgan-Tetz says the homestead is almost at capacity and is excited about future opportunities to expand the current space.

"I didn't wake up one day and decide this is what I'm going to do for the rest of my life. I'm sure many entrepreneur stories are like mine and that we stumble into our careers with a passion. It's amazing what happens when you put heart and logic together.”

Photos: Top-Delia Morgan-Tetz inside Walkn on Water Toy Shop Lloydminster location. Bottom-Exterior of her shop's Lloydminster location.