Business Beat, by Aaron Orlando
Revelstoke’s newest retail business is Your Office & Art Centre, which opened for business last week in the Silver Bear building on Second St. West. It is Revelstoke Pharmasave owner Steven Hui’s newest business. Hui explained the shop is fulfilling demand for office and art supplies in Revelstoke, and will also allow his pharmacy to refocus on its core business of healthcare products. In the coming month, Hui will use the existing art and office supply area at Pharmasave to expand into home care lifestyle aid products for seniors and those with disabilities. He’ll also be introducing an expanded line of sports aids (like knee braces) to fulfill growing demand in the active Revelstoke market. The bigger Your Office & Art Centre location means the business can expand its office supply line, and also feature more dynamic displays. “Come in every couple of weeks and there’ll be a different line or a different look to the store.” Last week was a soft opening, “We’re still fine-tuning our inventory a little bit,” Hui said. He encouraged everyone to visit often to see their expanding line of products, and also to give staff feedback on what products they’d like to see in the shop.
New licensed property managers in town
Alison Lambert and Jessica Klikach hosted a grand opening ceremony June 1 at their new full-service residential and commercial property management brokerage at Coldwell Banker Horizon Realty. It’s a new branch of the existing real estate office at 218 Orton Ave. Klikach and Lambert are both licensed property managers, meaning they have training and special legal rights they say is a big advantage for clients looking for someone to manage their commercial or residential property. For example, they can serve as a representative court disputes and have training in relevant laws, rules and regulations. They offer services including property inspections, advertising for tenants, screening applicants, dealing with contractors, handling disputes, doing credit checks and more. Check out some of the listings they have available at www.revelstokepropertygroup.com. They both have backgrounds in property management and say they decided to open up business in Revelstoke after identifying a need here. In addition to peace of mind, Lambert says their services mean better tenants and fewer vacancies, leading to less lost revenue. “We’re selling the whole package,” she said.
Kat & Dog Natural Pets introduces raw pet food
Katherine Ladouceur’s new business Kat & Dog Natural Pets is introducing the raw pet food trend to Revelstoke.
She says the trend of feeding raw food to pets is growing rapidly and was surprised the service wasn’t offered here, so she decided to set up her home-based business.
Kat & Dog mirrors trends in the human-food market, selling regionally-sourced (B.C. and Alberta), sometimes organic meats, treats and supplements.
Humans question the wisdom of eating highly-processed foods, Ladouceur says, so why wouldn’t we do the same for our dogs and cats? She first started feeding her dog raw food after he has digestive trouble and noticed a big improvement.
What if my dog seems fine with traditional kibble? “Would you rather they be fine, or would you rather that you put the food down and they eat it and they feel good?” she asks.
Ladouceur encourages you to think for yourself about what’s right for your pet. “Take a step back from the marketing machine that is the commercial pet food industry,” she challenges.
Her products come in many forms, including frozen foods portioned into meal-sized packs. Some of the more exotic products are dried bison liver, caribou stew and kangaroo jerky. She also sells staples of portioned beef and chicken.
Her products appear somewhat expensive, but Ladouceur says they are much more dense than filler-laden kibbles, so less is required, leading to comprarable prices.
Kat & Dog offers pick-up and home delivery.
Check out www.katndog.ca to learn more.