If you want to know what is changing in your community, ask a realtor; Darrin Goss will tell you the market on the Sunshine Coast is the hottest it has been since he acquired his real-estate license sixteen years ago. Driving the tight market are younger buyers. They make up fifty percent of his client list, a sharp contrast to past years when the buyers were mostly retired seniors. “They are highly educated, polite, direct, motivated, and decisive. The first question they ask: ‘What is the bandwidth?’”
The Covid pandemic is the catalyst, the Re/Max Agent says. They want a yard for their kids to play in and a home office. Some of the deals are financed by the bank of mom and dad, who want a safe haven for their children and grandkids—an early inheritance. Three of Goss’s clients were Telus technicians moving here to service the high-speed Internet.
A byproduct of all of this is new neighbours and a younger group of enthusiastic Sunshine Coast entrepreneurs with new ideas, a win for everyone.
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During this growth period on the Coast, Stephanie Taylor has welcomed more than twenty new residents to the Coast every month since October. “The response has been phenomenal.” Her new company, Sunshine Coast Neighbourhood Welcome, with the help of many supportive community partners, delivers a different kind of grocery bag to newcomers, with a bottle of wine, store vouchers, important contact information, dog treats, and more. “What I am sharing is the heart of the Sunshine Coast.”
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At twenty-six, Shannon Heavens is building a thriving family business. Her Elphinstone Property Care in Gibsons looks after lawns, patios, plants, and landscaping. She recently removed seven hedges for a homeowner, then took the plants home to recycle them to another client. “We don’t use gas-powered equipment. Electric- and battery-powered tools are cleaner, with thirty percent less noise.” Shannon is also working with two developers to recycle their construction waste.
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Who knew that real estate and golf careers would be a winning combination? Newcomers to the Coast, Janai York of York and Associates and her husband, teaching pro Chris Lowe, are finding it is the perfect mix. Janai, who comes from a marketing background, was a Medallion Award realtor in her first year. She is on track to sell forty to fifty homes this year. Chris has owned a golf course and taught at many others in Metro Vancouver. In Sechelt, Janai sends her real estate clients to Chris for lessons at Blue Ocean Golf Club, and he sends his students to her to shop for a home. Working together on the Coast, they are both shooting par.
Another new startup business in Sechelt is Forget Me Not Refill Station. Susan Selzer’s goal is to reduce single-use plastic on the Coast. She sells many lifestyle goods supporting low-waste living, plant-based organic soaps and cleaners, and glass bottles that can be refilled at her store.
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Chara Krangle’s family has lived in Roberts Creek for more than thirty-five years. Her dad is a retired school principal. She is a holistic nutritionist and is now planning to give back to the kids on the Sunshine Coast through her North Vancouver–based company, Oat of the Ordinary. The business idea came to her when she was travelling in the US and Canada doing podcasts for an LA Company, Almost 30. The thirty-year-old found it difficult to find a good, fast nutritional breakfast. “Covid hit, so we began testing and planning.” Partnering with her friend Vanessa Nicola, the young entrepreneurs launched Oat of the Ordinary, producing an easy-to-prepare, organic gluten-free breakfast cereal that contains eleven grams of vegan protein and just three percent sugar content. The pair got an endorsement from Arlene Dickinson, a business accelerator and an original participating investor on Dragon’s Den. Sales of their oatmeal have doubled, the company is a social media favourite, and now they are giving back to their community, pledging to donate one of every six breakfast packs they produce to help some of the thirty percent of children who go to school without breakfast. When they launch their give-back program, the very first school to benefit will be here on the Sunshine Coast.
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Joanne van Ginkel, owner of Garten Design in Davis Bay, might be the most qualified landscaper to come to the Coast. She has a university degree in landscape architecture and a degree in art history. Working with many local contractors, her level of expertise includes everything from garden design to retaining walls. “Landscaping now ranks as high as kitchens and bathrooms in a development, and not all contractors understand that. In terms of plants, we live in one of the most diverse places on earth. Our plant palette in our micro-climates are five times greater than other parts of Canada and the world.” Joanne is busy. She sees that during Covid, people are vacationing at home and making landscaping a priority.
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Not new to the Coast but ready to open with a new business vision are Del and Renu Sidhu. For over a year now, Sunshine Coast residents have been waiting patiently for their new pub and restaurant reveal. After the year-long pandemic, we all need a place to go, gather, and celebrate, and their 195-seat Twenty Two Taphouse with indoor and outdoor entertainment areas will be a popular destination. Twenty-two is the number of West Coast and Sunshine Coast brews and ciders they will have on tap. Del says, “We want to be the hub where people can come, enjoy themselves, and make memories. You can dress up. You won’t have to go to Vancouver for that special night.” When Covid is over, live bands will play once a week. The pub menu will be steak, chicken, and burgers. The Sihdus know all about hospitality. For the past fourteen years their Saffron Restaurant, which they will continue to own and operate, has been a favourite in the Trail Bay Mall. The Clayton Family, which owns the mall, is building Twenty Two Taphouse, with the Sidhus taking a big hand with the design and furnishings. “We are leasing it. The excitement and journey has been a great partnership with the Claytons.” The investment is close to three million dollars. Del’s goal is to be serving drinks by the end of April.
