by Allison Smith –
Back in July, we were camping at Cultus Lake near Chilliwack. Two things marred the experience: someone attempted to steal our bike rack, and, in a separate incident, my husband and brother had their bikes stolen (although they were returned later). Sitting around the firepit that night, we said things like “this would have never happened on the Island.”
Yes, it was said jokingly, but you have to wonder. I know our beautiful Saanich Peninsula community has crime. But we’re also the community where, when I saw an elderly woman struggling to push a stalled e-trike out of the middle of an intersection and pulled over to help, every car that passed me rolled down their window to ask if I needed them to join in the rescue mission. This is the community where, when a local bride had to move her wedding from Kelowna to the Peninsula due to forest fires and find flowers last minute, offers came pouring in.
We are so lucky, and of course, beyond the people who live there, the lifeblood of a community is the businesses that sustain it. In this issue of Seaside Magazine, we celebrate our local small businesses. Without them building the heart of our community, there would be nowhere for us to gather, to connect with one another, to find support for our children’s sports teams or school fundraisers. It’s an endless loop of shoring each other up.
Never has that been more true than over the past few years. While some businesses closed, others bravely opened their doors. While the threat of the pandemic has passed, these newer businesses, and the long-time fixtures of the Peninsula, still face uncertainty and challenges.
“Ours is a front row seat to the ebb and flow of our community,” say Alice Bacon and John Carswell, owners of Brentwood Bay Village Empourium (pg. 17)
While Seaside Magazine may not have a physical location, we are a place where the stories of our community are gathered and shared. Our clients, readers and team are invaluable support to this small business, and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
Photo by Janis Jean Photography.
Clothing provided and styled by Barbara’s Boutique, Sidney.
