Business is about charity at a second-hand shop in Nanaimo.
Deni Bezeau ran Michelangelo Tile, a ceramic tile company, in Nanaimo for 40 years, but when his knees gave out it was time to retire, at least from the tile business.
Financially secure and with time on his hands, Bezeau, 67, bought an old grocery store at the corner of Seventh Street and Bruce Avenue in Harewood to open DeniB次元官网网址檚 Dynamite Deals, a second-hand store dedicated to producing donations for the neighbourhood in which it operates.
Bezeau opened in 2018 and sales now generate about $11,000 per month, which is donated to NanaimoB次元官网网址檚 BGC Canada Central Vancouver Island, KidSport, Crossroads Pregnancy Centre, Nanaimo Child Development Centre, John Barsby Secondary School extracurriculars, the Vancouver Island University Hockey Club and other organizations.
About 90 per cent of the storeB次元官网网址檚 inventory is items donated by Nanaimo residents and the remaining 10 per cent Bezeau purchases at garage sales.
B次元官网网址淚t all goes to the neighbourhood,B次元官网网址� Bezeau said. B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 no wages that come out of this store. This money goes right back to the community and people with no money, they get it free. Somebody needs to be there for a poor neighbourhood and thatB次元官网网址檚 what we do here and IB次元官网网址檝e been very blessed to have made many, many, many good friends and acquaintances through it also.B次元官网网址�
Bezeau said buying the store was a bit of a fluke after B次元官网网址渙ne thing led to another.B次元官网网址� The building, he said, has stood more than 100 years and has been a blacksmithB次元官网网址檚 shop, one of NanaimoB次元官网网址檚 earliest grocery stores and a convenience store that once sold huge soft-serve ice cream cones. Someday, as Harewood continues to undergo the pressures of development, it will no longer be there.
B次元官网网址淚t was the right price at the time and where I will benefit and win is when I sell it and everybody knows that,B次元官网网址� he said.
Rob Stevenson, teacher and athletic director at John Barsby, said Bezeau started donating to the schoolB次元官网网址檚 football team in the spring of 2019.
B次元官网网址淗eB次元官网网址檇 seen the kids out practising and asked could we use some help with uniforms and protective equipment,B次元官网网址� Stevenson said. B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e always looking for that type of help and Deni brought a cheque over to the school.B次元官网网址�
ItB次元官网网址檚 policy for the team to acknowledge generosity and reciprocate it in some way.
B次元官网网址淗e needed some help with traffic control for a flea market he was doing, so we had some of the kids spend a Saturday in several shifts, just helping with parking and unloading vendors B次元官网网址� and stuff like that. Then, sure enough, he rolls in again with some more money.B次元官网网址�
The football team and Bezeau regularly help each other out and the relationship theyB次元官网网址檝e established has benefited other Barsby programs, such as the schoolB次元官网网址檚 drumline B次元官网网址� adopted when COVID-19 made it unsafe for students to practise on wind instruments. The drumline now performs at BarsbyB次元官网网址檚 football games and a recent donation of several thousand dollars was shared by the the schoolB次元官网网址檚 drumline and football, volleyball and basketball programs.
B次元官网网址淲ith the great reset thatB次元官网网址檚 happened with COVID, kids are really yearning for student activities and itB次元官网网址檚 important to have uniforms and equipment for the kids, so heB次元官网网址檚 been a godsendB次元官网网址次元官网网址� Stevenson said. B次元官网网址淭he cascading effect of that is the stronger those groups are, the stronger the school culture is B次元官网网址� itB次元官网网址檚 a great life lesson for our young people about giving, too. We celebrate his actions with the kids and itB次元官网网址檚 an example to the kids about how they may want to go on and lead their lives.B次元官网网址�
Bezeau would like to be able to give even more to community groups and is challenging himself to find ways to raise that monthly amount to $16,000 or even $20,000.
In addition to the cheques, he helps in other ways. He tries to take people with addictions and other life issues under his wing, he said, and they sometimes come by to help out at the store and talk about their lives and challenges.
B次元官网网址淚 try to do whatever I can to help them become better people,B次元官网网址� Bezeau said.
He said the store and his ability to give to the community has grown into something he never anticipated and, as far as heB次元官网网址檚 concerned the world needs more people doing similar things.
B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 hoping that the legacy I leave is for younger people to be able to see this and want to remember and, maybe as they get older theyB次元官网网址檒l have those opportunities to do what IB次元官网网址檓 doingB次元官网网址次元官网网址� Bezeau said. B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 in a position where I can do it and I can help everybody and I never want to put down other stores because they all have their own reasons for being there. Mine is just a different purpose, thatB次元官网网址檚 all.B次元官网网址�
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