What did they have to lose if they had already lost everything?
That is the question longtime friends and Sidney residents Elyse Barkley and Murrae Wilson asked themselves after they lost their jobs in the beauty industry at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Where others might have seen plenty of reasons to despair, the friends decided to double down by opening a salon B次元官网网址� in September 2020 B次元官网网址� mere months after the initial shutdown had cut through their industry.
B次元官网网址淲e didnB次元官网网址檛 have anything else to lose, because we were already rock-bottom,B次元官网网址� said Barkley. By opening a salon B次元官网网址渞ight in the thickB次元官网网址� of the COVID-19 pandemic as Barkley put it, the friends fulfilled a long-hedged ambition.
B次元官网网址�(Murrae) and I have always had this dream, in that we would open something together in our hometown of Sidney,B次元官网网址� said Barkley. B次元官网网址淲e were already outside of our comfort zone and we were kind of pushed into a place of discomfort because we were jobless. It could only go up from here.B次元官网网址�
Naturally, Barkley and Wilson confronted doubters as well as cheerleaders among family and friends. B次元官网网址淭hey all knew that this was something we wanted to do,B次元官网网址� said Barkley. B次元官网网址淏ut they definitely were a little bit apprehensive about the timing of it. But I have always been such a believer that everything happens for a reason.B次元官网网址�
Less than two years later, the business is flourishing. In fact, the entrepreneurs recently expanded their offerings by launching a clothing shop called Wren Apparel right next to their salon with the two businesses employing a total of 20 staff.
Did Barkley and Wilson ever consider that the pandemic might also hurt their business in light of their own painful experience of losing their jobs? B次元官网网址淚 always trusted that when we went back, we wouldnB次元官网网址檛 get re-shut down,B次元官网网址� said Barkley. B次元官网网址淚t just never was an option in my mind. I just didnB次元官网网址檛 foresee it happening.B次元官网网址�
And if the pandemic had led to another complete shutdown, she and her business partner would have found ways to run the business.
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The story of La Boutique and now Wren Apparel can be read as a larger story of the entrepreneurial risk-taking and resilience that has defined new and existing businesses across the Saanich Peninsula during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Take Bill Singer, co-owner of the Rum Runner in Sidney. More than two years after the start of the pandemic, the business is celebrating its 32nd anniversary, an impressive figure for any business, but especially for one in the restaurant industry, where profit margins are small and failure rates high.
As Singer himself acknowledges, his business has benefited from its downtown Sidney location offering breathtaking views of the Salish Sea and Mount Baker. But location, location, location alone doesnB次元官网网址檛 necessarily make a successful business. Singer believes the longevity of his business stems from reasonable prices, ample portions and laser-sharp focus on local clients.
It is this local market that makes him confident about the future.B次元官网网址�(What) I see as a positive is the amount of development that is happening on the Peninsula,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淚 think that bodes well for our demographic shift.B次元官网网址�
Erika Nelson, who manages BosleyB次元官网网址檚 By Pet Valu in Sidney for her parents, has seen the same shifts in the community. She sees Sidney attracting families, a development that gives her confidence about the prospects for her business specifically and retail generally.
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Like the Rumrunner, BosleyB次元官网网址檚 can look back on a long history in the region, having opened its doors in Sidney more than 20 years ago. But as other businesses have found out, longevity did not immunize them against the effects of the pandemic. BosleyB次元官网网址檚 also went through fluctuations.
B次元官网网址淚t was tough,B次元官网网址� said Nelson. B次元官网网址淟ike everybody else, we had ups and downs. But a lot of people started adopting pets through the pandemic. So we had to adjust and keep going.B次元官网网址�
But Nelson and her staff, some of whom have worked at BosleyB次元官网网址檚 for over 20 years, persevered.
B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e OK,B次元官网网址� said Nelson of her experience. B次元官网网址淧ets are essential. They need to eat. They need all their stuff.B次元官网网址�
Nelson could also draw on her fatherB次元官网网址檚 background in business, BosleyB次元官网网址檚 supply chains, and the businessB次元官网网址檚 deep connection in the community. Like Singer, Nelson sees challenges ahead because of rising costs. Supply chain issues also continue. But a tone of accomplishment also colours NelsonB次元官网网址檚 comments about going through the COVID-19 experience.
B次元官网网址淲e are extremely proud of ourselves,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淲e are proud of our staff. We have amazing loyal customers. Even through the pandemic, we have been able to raise for organizations (helping pets) that donB次元官网网址檛 have enough funds.B次元官网网址�
Other Peninsula entrepreneurs, some more established, others just starting off, have also used the COVID-19 pandemic as pivots in their professional careers.
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Take Jennifer Etherington, who opened Avenue B Home Decor in November 2021. She had worked as a consultant in the hospitality industry, which in her words had B次元官网网址渢urned to zeroB次元官网网址� in 2020. B次元官网网址淪o I had to find something new for myself and this is something I always wanted to do,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淪o I took the leap and IB次元官网网址檓 thrilled and pleased that I did.B次元官网网址�
Etherington, who had worked for decades in the hospitality industry, helping hotels with budgeting and revenue forecast along the way, found the transition into retail seamless. Customer service underpins both the hospitality and retail industry, she said. B次元官网网址淪o I donB次元官网网址檛 think the transition has been hard at all,B次元官网网址� she said.
As with Barkley and Wilson, Etherington encountered skeptics. B次元官网网址淪ome people were very concerned for me, but I did a lot of due diligence and work,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淎nd when I opened, everybody was very kind and very supportive.B次元官网网址�
This level of support has allowed her to grow, going from two to six staff, and she too feels optimistic about the future in light of the regionB次元官网网址檚 development.
Ryan Hayter, co-owner of Marigold Cafe in Central Saanich, lives that growth. His business, which opened in February 2021, lies a stoneB次元官网网址檚 throw from the Marigold Lands development, a multi-phased residential development featuring condominiums and rental housing just off the Lochside Trail. In fact, HayterB次元官网网址檚 family lives in the immediate neighbourhood, making for a very short commute.
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A trained executive chef, Hayter and his wife Jennifer Hackett had started to plan their business before the COVID-19 pandemic.
B次元官网网址淎nd then everything shut down with the pandemic,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淪o it was actually quite a good time for me and my wife to take the time and really be able to put the effort into making the business into what it is now.B次元官网网址�
To top it all off, the couple welcomed their first child, Will, in April 2020.
B次元官网网址淲e were planning on having a family,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淲e just werenB次元官网网址檛 exactly planning on it happening at exactly the same time as opening our business.B次元官网网址�
COVID-19, of course, delayed that opening. But the COVID-19 shutdown also gave the young family the necessary breathing space and time to refine their concept for the cafe which seeks to benefit from the development coming up around it and the proximity to the Lochside Trail with its steady parade of passing cyclists.
The timing of WillB次元官网网址檚 arrival has also meant that he has been growing up with the business.
B次元官网网址淗e has been here since day one, running around in the dining room, even before we opened,B次元官网网址� said Hayter. B次元官网网址淲e had a little playpen set up in the middle of the cafe while we were getting all set up.B次元官网网址�
In many ways, the COVID-19 shutdown may have turned out to be a blessing in disguise. B次元官网网址淲e couldnB次元官网网址檛 open right away anyway,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淚t definitely wasnB次元官网网址檛 our intent to open in the middle of the pandemic, but when it happened, we were invested too much into it and just decided to plow through with it.B次元官网网址�
Things were not easy in the initial phase following the opening. With indoor capacity limited, the business moved operations outside. B次元官网网址淚t definitely wasnB次元官网网址檛 ideal that our guests had to sit out in the cold, but it was survival mode at that point,B次元官网网址� said Hayter.
Nearly 18 months after opening though, the cafe has found a supportive clientele.
B次元官网网址淓verybody was really excited for us to come,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淲e felt really welcomed here from the beginning.B次元官网网址�
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