Following a public voting period that saw over 50,000 votes cast, local entrepreneurs Chaylene Lidell and Shaughnessy Otsuji have been named winners of the Downtown Langley Business Association’s Start It Up Langley contest.
Lidell and Otsuji will receive more than $130,000 in prizes to help them launch their business, Pink Avo café. The prizes include six months’ free rent, marketing support, legal and accounting fees, business coaching, a grand opening reception, and much more.
“With so many great finalists, it wasn’t easy for the judges to choose a winner,” said Teri James, Executive Director of the Downtown Langley Business Association.
“Ultimately, Chaylene and Shaughnessy came out ahead as they not only received the most votes, but they also have a very promising retail concept that I think will resonate with the Downtown Langley community. We’re very excited to help them get their business off the ground and we can’t wait to see what they do with it.”
Pink Avo will offer healthy, vegetarian and vegan-friendly food as well as ‘Instagram worthy’ pink lattes in a fun and vibrant atmosphere. The idea for the café came about when clients at Lidell and Otsuji’s paramedical tattoo business, Studio Sashiko, kept asking where they could go for a bite to eat.
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The winners, as they say, are tickled pink.
“Winning this contest is amazing,” said Lidell. “Pink Avo has been a dream of ours for years and we can’t wait to get started.”
“We want to thank everyone who voted for us,” added Otsuji. “This opportunity means a lot to us and we really appreciate the support.”
Pink Avo café will be opening at 20534 Fraser Highway sometime in the fall.
