With business growing in the city of Langford since it was incorporated in 1992, the Best of the WestShore has grown too.

Now in its ninth year, the Best of the WestShore was created as a partnership between the WestShore Chamber of Commerce and Goldstream B次元官网网址 Gazette to highlight excellence in local business. 

"It's grown over time and I think it's an opportunity for local businesses and non-profits to engage with their customers. It provides an opportunity for a closer connection," said Julie Lawlor, executive director of WestShore Chamber of Commerce, who has been with the chamber for almost 10 years.

So, how did it all start?

Christine Scott, who was publisher at the time of the Gazette, recalls.

"We used to attend a lot of the chamber mixers as the Gazette and it was a really vibrant time on the West Shore," she said. "We always did Best of the City for Victoria B次元官网网址, and I just thought this is a great opportunity to do the same for the West Shore. Businesses from Langford would really get diluted out of the Victoria product because they were in the West Shore."

The Chamber in the past had done its own Chamber Excellence Awards, Lawlor added, so a partnership with the Gazette was a "welcome opportunity".

The first Best of the WestShore event came at the time of the inception of West Hills. The stadium was built, and businesses were growing. "And we had very charismatic mayors," added Scott, "so, you can imagine the vibrancy. It was a really young and developing area."

The event sold out and Best of the WestShore helped put Langford businesses on the map, she said.

"It really raised their profile," she said. "Even though you're competing, there was that companionship, camaraderie that existed between businesses. So, it helped promote a cohesiveness of the West Shore as its own entity."

"To look at the changes in the West Shore now is just phenomenal," she said.

With October being Small Business Month, it's as good a time as any to celebrate the best the West Shore has to offer, from restaurants and clinics to spas and more. Goldstream Gazette and the Chamber are proud to elevate these local businesses and celebrate our growing community.