by Alice Bacon & John Carswell, Brentwood Bay Village Empourium | photo by Tanya Murchie – Photography –
As a Saanich Peninsula resident for 35 years, I’ve seen a lot of changes which have had both positive and negative effects in our community. Most negative changes are a result of external forces: economic (the high cost of housing), or societal (the opioid crisis), whereas positive change is most often due to the efforts of an individual or group within our community. It was with this perspective that my wife and partner Alice Bacon and I decided to open Brentwood Bay Village Empourium in 2015. The plan was to fill what we perceived as underserved needs at that time: a neighbourhood gathering place, a venue to showcase local art and music along with the opportunity for a little retail therapy.
Looking back at our initial business plan, it’s surprising to realize that we’ve made it as far as we have. Since opening, we’ve come to understand that the key to starting and operating a successful business largely depends on having access to the resources to pay for all the mistakes you’re going to make.
When we moved into what was then known as Trafalgar Square, the mall was nearly half empty. Like most outlying villages and towns, Brentwood Bay’s retail trade was in serious decline. Had we more fully understood the challenges that lay ahead we might never have taken the leap, but we were driven by the belief that a healthy business community is essential to the well-being and vibrancy of the community it serves. The support we’ve had from our community over the past eight years confirms this belief.
It’s often said that what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger. Sometimes, however, it simply mutates and keeps trying. Surviving the first year of COVID-19 proved anticlimactic in comparison to what was to follow: labour shortages, the spiralling cost of living and rolling supply chain shortages. These factors continue to exert tremendous strain on small independent service-based businesses in particular and have forced many to reconsider their goals and ultimately their purpose.
At a time when there are fewer opportunities for us to serve our community, we see the value of providing local employment opportunities for people of all ages. Spending formative time in the service of others contributes to a kinder and more tolerant world view. We cherish the relationships we’ve formed with our ever-changing work family. Watching young students who come to work for us grow into confident and caring adults is a genuine privilege. So is acknowledging the joyful and tearful milestones in our customers’ lives. Ours is a front row seat to the ebb and flow of our community.
Everyone has their own definition of success. For us and many other small independent operators, the hospitality business has become much more closely aligned with the values of social enterprise. While the financial rewards may be small, serving our community with the same spirit as others do in their chosen ways generates currency of a different and ultimately greater value.
