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Business Notes: Duncan's Laine Vintage Clothing & Home Décor moves to new location

The latest from Cowichan's business community
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Emily Armstrong, owner of Duncan's Laine Vintage Clothing & Home Decor, said moving to a new and larger location at 79 Station St. has been good for business.

Laine Vintage Clothing & Home Décor has moved to a larger location in downtown Duncan.

The family-owned business has relocated almost three weeks ago from 121 Station St. to nearby 79 Station. St., where the Hospital Auxiliary Thrift Store was situated before recently moving to the old Monks Office Supply Ltd. site on Craig Street.

Laine Vintage offers a carefully hand-picked selection of unisex, men's, women's and children's vintage clothing, as well as eclectic vintage home décor, and unique vintage finds.

The store also accepts consignment items of quality vintage clothing and household items.

Emily Armstrong runs Laine Vintage, which has been in operation in Duncan’s downtown core for a more than a year, along with her daughters Ivy and Sophie.

She said the new location is much larger than the old one, which allows customers more room to move around and check out what Laine Vintage offers.

“The old store was always packed, and we had to make people wait outside until we had enough room to let them in,” Armstrong said. “The new location has lots of room and nobody has to wait outside anymore, and that makes a big difference.”

Armstrong said the fact that the new location is very close to the old one means that Laine Vintage has kept most of its previous customers, and is able to add new ones with a larger store.

“Business has been great since we moved,” she said. “We think it was a great decision to move here.”

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Ladysmith’s In the Beantime Café will be closing its doors at its present location on High Street in the community’s downtown core on Nov. 30.

Owners Campbell and Kristy McIntyre said the building that the café has been located in since 2006 has been sold.

“This past fall the location was put up for sale by its longtime owner and sold quickly,” Campbell said. “While we had hoped the purchaser would consider leasing the location to our business, this sadly was not the case.”

Campbell said that while the future is uncertain, the couple is looking for local solutions for a relocation plan to enable In the Beantime Café to continue being a part of the Ladysmith community.

“We want to continue to provide the same friendly, fresh and healthy fare to our tremendous customers in the future," he said. "We will keep you updated as our plan moves forward."

The McIntyres will be having a special event on Light Up day on Nov. 28, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., offering hot chocolate and goodies and are inviting all their faithful customers and previous staff to come and enjoy, chat, and share memories.

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The Malahat SkyWalk was the winner of a 2024 Ecostar Award in the “Experimental Tourism” category.

The Ecostar Awards recognize outstanding environmental achievements and since 2015, have been honouring Vancouver Island businesses, schools, governments, and individuals who have led exceptional environmental initiatives.

This year’s awards, presented by the non-profit Synergy Foundation, were handed out on Nov. 14 at a gala event at Victoria’s Laurel Point Inn.

The judges determined that the Malahat SkyWalk provides a unique, accessible, and educational experience that connects visitors with the natural beauty and cultural heritage of Vancouver Island, while partnering with the Malahat Nation.

“Cultural heritage and traditional ecological knowledge are central to the park,” Ecostar Awards said in a statement.

“The organization has reduced barriers to accessing nature by launching a free shuttle service from downtown Victoria, providing electric scooters for those with mobility challenges, and providing discounted tickets for school groups.”

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Duncan’s award-winning Keating Farm has been busy preparing for the winter season and harvesting lots of delicious farm products just in time for your holiday celebrations.

The 27-acre farm on Miller Road, which is owned by Rebecca and George Papadopoulos, focuses on sustainable agriculture and is home to a variety of animals, including honey bees, chickens, turkeys, sheep, and pigs.

For the holiday celebrations this year, Keating Farm is offering locally, ethically and sustainably raised and pastured turkey, grass-fed lamb, and cold-pressed apple juice.

The farm’s turkeys are pasture-raised Orlopp bonze turkeys, a non-conventional breed known for their delicious caramel meat and robust flavour; the lamb, which is from the farm’s flock of Dorper, Icelandic, Katahdin, and Suffolk sheep, are raised on quality pasture and their meat is tender with delicious grass-fed flavour; and the apple cider is made with a blend of organic heritage apples, including Golden Russet, Tydeman’s Red, Spartan, King, and Mutsu.

To place an order, contact Keating Farm by email at rebecca@keatingfarm.ca, or call 250-797-6179.

“Our products sell out quickly, so please don't delay in placing your order,” the Papadopoulos said. “We look forward to hearing from you. Thanks for your business and supporting local farms.”

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Nominations for the Duncan Cowichan Chamber of Commerce’s prestigious Black Tie Awards open on Dec.1.

The annual Black Tie Awards celebrate local excellence by recognizing outstanding businesses and volunteers in our community.

All nominees for the Black Tie Awards must operate and/or work within the Cowichan Valley Regional District, and the businesses and organizations nominated must be Canadian owned and operated to be eligible for nomination.

Stay tuned for more details on how to nominate your favourites.