Influence Board Shop
Opening a new store during a pandemic was quite the feat. Steven Munro, co-owner of Influence Board Shop, opened his first shop in January 2019 in Victoria. They opened a second store at 847 Goldstream Ave, in the strip mall behind Tim Hortons.
“There was a lot of unknowns when we opened,” Steven said. “We didn’t know what was going to happen in our business, or the country, or the planet. There was no point in being afraid at this point, even during hard times. You can’t let fear stop you from going forward in your life. We’ve been received very well in Langford.”
Influence is more than a retail store, he added. “All our staff love mentoring young men and women in a positive way through these sports.”
The store offers skateboards, roller skates, scooters, gear and equipment, with plans to bring in snowboard and BMX products. The Langford shop is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Come on down and have a look. influenceboardshop.com/.
Merit Travel
Merit Travel closed its storefront in Colwood about eight years ago. At that time, Melanie Davis, Bev Snyder and Colleen Donnelly, all senior travel consultants, transitioned to working from home.
“The pandemic didn’t affect the way we worked, as we had been doing it for eight years,” Melanie said. “People just call us at 250-477-0131 and pick the extension for who they want to speak to and book their travel.”
Melanie explained that people are booking travel experiences into 2022 and 2023. “We are booking now for the 2022 cruise season and those are filling up fast. We’ve started taking bookings into 2023 now. Americans, Europeans and Asians are filling up the ships so we advise people to book now, especially those wanting to see Alaska in the summertime.”
A major summer destination for travellers is Europe and they are now helping their clients book into 2022 for vacation packages. For more information visit: merit.ca.
Dragonfly Design Works
Janna Turberfield started creating cute designs about five years ago.
“I was depressed after the loss of a baby and my family banded together to buy me a Silhouette Cameo cutting machine,” she said. “I joined some crafting groups and every time I tried something new people bought whatever I made.”
Dragonfly Design Works transitioned to a full-time, home-based business in 2021. Janna’s custom creations can be applied to cups, plates, clothing, gift items, etc. “One of the most popular things I get asked for are baby announcements and special birthdays,” she said. “During COVID, it’s become quite a thing because people want to celebrate somehow.”
For Easter, she can customize plush bunnies with a name on the ear, or personalize a bunny bag. She also has hollow plastic eggs you can personalize and fill with whatever you want. Dragonfly creates hundreds of items not listed here. For more info visit her on Facebook at dragonflydesignworks.
Do you want to welcome a new business? Has somebody won awards or celebrated an anniversary? Let us know if you are moving or you wish to welcome a new employee.
Let’s tell the community about it by sending your business press release to Buzz on Business. Email: publisher@goldstreamgazette.com
