BUSINESS IN THE VALLEY

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The Arts Station

601 1st Ave 250-423-4842

Starting August 4, enjoy five weeks of free concerts, popping up each Wednesday in Station Square (outside The Arts Station), a sizzling summer of live music, and good times in downtown Fernie! The music is free, and everyone is welcome! Beginning at 5:30pm all are welcome to enjoy live music, refreshment garden, food trucks, and a kids activity tent.

The Wednesday Socials are a highly anticipated weekly summer event that draws close to 500 community members and visitors each week. This free, fun, family-friendly event is the perfect end to a day in the mountains.

To social like a local, bring ID, a chair, small parasol, and water bottle to beat the summer heat, eat at one of the local food trucks, and bring cash for a cold beer! Head downtown early to check out local boutiques and stores and stick around after to check out the restaurant and bar scene! theartsstation.com Submitted Photo

Elk Valley Suicide Task Force

evstf.ca

The Elk Valley Suicide Task Force is responding to the need to create a safe place for you to go with your grief by creating a grief support group.

Their grief support group is a gathering of individuals with shared experiences. It will provide people with the opportunity to share and explore personal experiences and feelings, coping strategies, and firsthand information for navigating grief and loss. Support groups are ways to bring together people who have gone through or are going through transitions which are difficult to deal with alone.

Hosted Tuesday evenings at the Fernie Fox Hotel starting September 21 at 6pm, free and open to anyone experiencing grief. Drop-in friendly.

Visit evstf.ca for more information, additional resources and contact information. Submitted Photo

Fernie Physiotherapy

901 5th Ave 250-423-3423

Fernie Physiotherapy would like to welcome their newest team member, Haley Guttin, RMT.

Haley graduated from the International Academy of Massage in Ottawa. Living an active life skiing, biking, climbing, and all that falls in between, Haley understands the role that massage, and proper education plays in the healing process.

She is excited to help clients achieve a greater sense of well-being through hands-on therapy and education on how to take an active role in their health and wellness journey. Haley uses a variety of massage techniques, depths of pressure, and open communication to adapt treatment to clients’ individual needs. She believes that massage is a beneficial modality in the maintenance of a healthy and functional life and enjoys being immersed in multidisciplinary clinics where a variety of therapists and practitioners can work together to optimize client care.

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Mantra Spirit Studio

591C 2nd Ave 250-430-2266

Tricia Clarke, certified Yoga instructor and Reiki Master, is incredibly excited to be opening a new studio to serve Fernie and the community. With a background in breathwork, meditation and vibrational sound healing, her approach is a blending of the spirit, mind and body to enhance well-being.

Mantra Spirit Studio will be opening in August offering Hatha, Ashtanga, Reiki Restorative, Yin Yoga as well as kids’ classes featuring Ecstatic Dance and Drumming.

Everyone is welcome for a free community day of classes on August 1. Tricia encourages you to join in and see what Yoga infused with Reiki can do for your well-being and happiness. Stay up to date by checking out Tricia’s new site mantraspiritstudio.com. Submitted Photo

Rocky Mountain Optometry

642 2nd Ave 250-423-4467

Rocky Mountain Optometry (RMO) is proud to announce its new owners, Dr. Shane Groeneweg and Dr. Katelyn Rose.

You may recognize both faces from around town. Dr. Rose grew up in the Elk Valley and is very happy to be back in her home, and Dr. Groeneweg has been in Fernie since 2007. RMO is always accepting new patients and Dr. Rose has a passion for paediatric optometry and contact lenses. Dr. Don Vinge has officially retired after serving the community for close to 40 years and Dr. Jeff Mann continues to work at RMO’s Blairmore and Fernie offices on a part-time basis. The clinic has also had Dr. Andrea Glover as an associate at all three of clinics since 2018.

Dr. Rose and Dr. Groeneweg are both very excited to help grow and improve RMO’s service in these communities. Jamie Inman Photography

SISU Midwifery

361A 1 Avenue

SISU Midwifery has opened its doors and Taina Turcasso, BSc, ND, RM is thrilled to be able to offer family-centered midwifery services to the families of the Elk Valley. She is welcoming both patients who are interested in full-scope midwifery from the positive pregnancy test right through to six weeks postpartum as well as those who are simply looking for home-based postpartum care. She will be offering both home birth as well as hospital birth at Elk Valley Hospital in Fernie and is looking forward to becoming part of the local maternity team.

Taina will also be starting up her naturopathic medical practice at SISU Midwifery in the fall and is excited to share her passion for and experience with naturopathic paediatric care, reproductive/ fertility support, perimenopause, and well-woman care. She hopes to provide compassionate and inclusive care for the whole family.

SISU Midwifery is located at 361A 1 Avenue in Fernie. Please contact Taina for more information, sisumidwifery@gmail. com or visit sisumidwifery.com.

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Timber Benefits

timberbenefits.com 780-668-2554

Timber Benefits offers employers unique and completely customized employee benefit packages, giving local businesses flexible options to attract and retain highquality employees.

Timber is co-owned by seasonal Fernie residents, Darcy Leclaire and Susie Sykes.

“We strongly believe that benefits should be used to help employees stay healthy, not just be available when someone gets sick,” says Susie. “We are so proud to bring flexible benefits to local businesses and support the physical and mental wellbeing of families in town.”

While Timber offers traditional plans including health, dental and vision care, the benefits getting the most buzz are non-traditional wellness benefits. This includes 24/7 telemedicine that connects families with instant access to healthcare if they can’t get to a family doctor. Timber also offers an online therapy benefit to support mental health, flexible spending accounts and even a vacation savings plan for employees.

A new brew, just for you.

@FernieBrewingCo

#DrinkFernie #FernieStoke

VISIT US.

Tasting Room + Store open from 11am, 7 days a week. Check website for full details, or to shop online.

CONTACT US.

tf: 1.855.777.BREW w: ferniebrewing.com e: info@ferniebrewing.com

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Dreaming of Starting a Business

by BRAD PARSELL

Many people daydream about the fanciful idea of one day being their own boss and owning their own business. It sounds awesome, right?! Choosing your own work hours, getting to pick who you work with, ideally doing something you love every day, reaping all the profits – who wouldn’t want to do that?

Of course, anyone who has started a small business will tell you it is a little more complicated than that. Actually, it is a LOT more complicated. There is a dizzying array of issues and practical concerns to consider before you cut the ribbon on opening day. What market are you going to serve? What niche are you going to fill? How does your skillset compliment running this kind of business? Will you have a physical location? Will you be leasing that space or buying it outright? Have you considered your marketing plan? What about supply chains? Will you have access to a stable workforce, or constantly be re-hiring and re-training people? Do you have enough capital to setup the business and cover any initial losses? Will you need to borrow some money to get this going? How much money do you stand to make at the end of a year after taxes and expenses?

Like most things in life, your chances of success are significantly greater if you have a plan. A robust business plan that considers all the above questions is critical – particularly if you intend on applying for a loan. Fortunately, there are a lot of great supports for new and would-be entrepreneurs available to people in our area. Small Business BC (smallbusinessbc. ca) is a great place to start. They have a ton of information and education resources for people looking to start a business in our province – including how to write a thorough and useful business plan. The next critical piece once you have a plan your confident in is finding the startup capital. There are quite a few options here, but you may want to consider talking to a dedicated business start-up lender over a traditional bank. Organizations like Community Futures (cfek.ca) and the Women’s Enterprise Centre (womensenterprise.ca) have great programs designed especially for startups, typically at lower rates than other financial institutions. These organizations also wrap business support and advice around their lending to better support you getting your business off the ground.

Then comes the more fun stuff – choosing a name, branding, choosing a location, etc. There are some other key formalities like registering your business, getting a business license from your municipal government, and insurance. Again, there is plenty of support out there to help you navigate these processes during startup and even once you have been trading for a while. I will shamelessly plug here the value of becoming a member of your local Chamber of Commerce who have a wealth of resources, connections, and networking opportunities to meet your fellow entrepreneurs. I also highly recommend engaging the services of the Basin Business Advisors Program (bbaprogram.ca) at any phase of your business lifespan. They provide free, one-to-one, confidential business advisement to businesses operating in the Columbia Basin.

With a lot of planning and forethought, and by leaning into the ecosystem of business supports we have – your dream of becoming your own boss may be easier to reach than you think. Submitted Photo

“Like most things in life, your chances of success are significantly greater if you have a plan.”