Amber-Lea Marie
NEWS Contributor
Aranea and Mike Paras, husband and wife team and the faces behind the Coombs Wooden Shoe Dutch Store, chat about tradition and Dutch delicacies, all in alignment with enlightening the community to enjoy the simpler things in life.
“In 1976, my mom, dad, sister and I immigrated from Holland to the Leduc area in Alberta,” said Aranea, whose parents ran a Dutch import store and gas station there. “We moved to (Vancouver) Island in 1995. My Dad came and we followed.
“The ocean is what drew me here – the weather is very much like Holland,” said Aranea. “Holland is surrounded by water and so is this island. People that are from Europe, especially Denmark and Holland, love the ocean; that’s what attracted us.”
As Aranea settled into Island living, carrying on the family tradition came naturally.
“This shop has been around for about twenty-five years,” Aranea said. “It originated as a tiny, little store in Coombs, right beside the market.”
While the store has changed hands and locations over the years, the Parases moved the Dutch Store to where it successfully resides today – alongside the Alberni Highway in Coombs’ Pine Tree Centre.
“The last owners shut it down and I started it back up again,” Aranea said of the 2003 relaunch of the Coombs Wooden Shoe Dutch Store. “We draw from the Island – we’re pretty central.”
With tourists flooding to the area, “we’re really busy in the summer,” Mike said of their steadily growing customer base.
Among its many Dutch delicacies, the Wooden Shoe Dutch Store carries traditional European snacks; quality cheese and chocolate, salty and sweet licorices, peeled Danish potatoes, french-fry dips and cookies of all sorts, even traditional chocolate sprinkles for your toast. There is something to satisfy nearly every European taste bud, especially those who have immigrated and want a little taste of home.
“If you’re Dutch, you’ll love the cheese and the Dutch groceries. If you’re Danish, you’ll love the licorice,” Aranea said. “Syrup wafers are hugely popular in Dutch culture as well. We place them on a cup of coffee or tea and let it melt just a little bit. They’re lovely.”
Primarily catering to the Dutch, the Paras’ say that Danes are their number two customers, though people from all kinds of European backgrounds walk through the doors and are always welcome.
“This is not work,” said Aranea. “This is our passion.”
Taste a piece of heritage at the Coombs Wooden Shoe Dutch Store, located at #14, 1343 Alberni Hwy, Parkville, B.C., or reach the Paras’ by phone at (250)-954-2336. Online at www.iloveoma.com.
