When the Coronavirus pandemic was declared in early March, we soon realized the Sunshine Coast was one of the safest places to live and work. It also became apparent, after the initial shock and fear, that some businesses would find some unexpected positive results as they moved forward. For them, despite restrictions and social distancing as we approach the Christmas season, their gifts are already under the tree.
One of them is Blue Ocean Golf Club, whose manager, Ken Langdon, decided to keep the course open throughout the pandemic. “We were the perfect social distancing activity. We followed all the Covid protocols.” April to June was restricted to Sunshine Coast residents only. The successful result, a 39% increase in business, 100% in October alone.
With people staying home and others moving to the Coast, home builders and renovators have been going full out. Their normally slow Christmas season this year is busy. With vacations on hold, people have decided to spend money on the comforts of home. Developer Doug Spani’s business has grown over 20%. “It is the fear of living in the cities at this time.” As the holiday season approaches, Spani has more than twenty jobs on the go, employing fifty to sixty people, more than twice the number he had at this time last year.
Home-decorating suppliers are also experiencing a boom during Covid. “It was a complete explosion. A perfect storm,” according to Paul Morris, owner of Paul’s Paintin Place, the Benjamin Moore dealer in Sechelt. “At first it was unsettling, then we figured out how to be more efficient.” Paul changed his business model, staggering pickup times to accommodate contractors and customers inside and at front and back doors. “The volume came fast and furious.” The window-covering side of the business has suffered during the pandemic, but paint sales are up 32%. Success has enabled Paul and his family to give more to the food bank and other Coast charities that support families at Christmas.
Around the corner from Paul’s Paintin Place, Emerge Design owner, Gwyntie van Tuyl Weswick, says her business has also increased during the pandemic. “In the beginning we were extremely concerned and worried. We became more innovative to showcase our interior design and space-planning services online.” Emerge’s employee base has grown to six, more than double what it was before Covid, and Gwyntie thinks they are well prepared to be less vulnerable during our second wave.
In many cases, traditional retailers who depend on Christmas sales to make their year are already ahead of the game. A family-owned business of twenty years, Dreamland Sleep Shop is feeling the love from Coast residents. Upgrading comforts at home has been part of the pandemic therapy, and after taking a couple of short, voluntary closures in the early days, Dreamland’s sales are a whopping 35% ahead of last year’s. The important and lucrative Christmas season sales will be extra and unexpected money in the bank. Owners Darren and Kim Rennie attribute a big part of their success to moving away from Ontario and Quebec suppliers who could not keep up with timely deliveries during Covid. They changed to BC suppliers, who can deliver mattresses and bed frames to their store within a week. Darren says, “We sell sleep.” And good sleep is good health during this Covid period.
Up the road, another Gibsons retailer is getting ready for the holidays, believing a different kind of Christmas gift has already come its way. Jackie and Dave Coyle, who own Dave Coyle Antique Reproductions, think there have been more business and community positives than negatives during Covid. “It brought the community together. We had so many messages from people worried we might go out of business.” After a nine-week closure, sales are up. Jackie attributes this to the accelerated drive to buy local. It means holiday sales for Christmas and Boxing Day will actually be an extra bonus to their bottom line.
Whimsy Giftware and Home Decor, also a Gibsons retailer, was at first hit hard by the lockdown. Longtime owner, Karen Lunty, had to close her store for three months. “It was brutal.” She reopened in June. “Our numbers from June to the end of October are better or equal to last year’s despite being closed two days a week and limiting the number of customers in the store to six at a time.” Karen believes people, fearing another shutdown, are shopping early for Christmas. “I feel really good about our numbers. I owe it to my good customers who are loyal and have stayed around.”
The take-away for so many Sunshine Coast business owners is that the pandemic has allowed them to focus on local suppliers and caring customers, and that may be their biggest positive and gift this Christmas.
