Lake Cowichan’s only dollar store opens this weekend and its owner, Lorna Vomacka, hopes to offer a little something for everyone.
The Loonie Bin Emporium will open its doors Friday, June 10, just in time for Lake Days weekend. The shop will sell a variety of products including household items, candy, electronics, party supplies, summertime and camping necessities and kitchenware.
And Vomacka said she plans to continue to expand the store’s inventory over time and based on customer feedback.
“We’re going to keep building and building and building,” she said, adding that variety is important but so is price.
“A lot of people probably don’t mind having something of not-as-great quality, and when you’re on a budget or a [fixed] income, that’s important.”
Vomacka said she decided to open the business when she noticed the popularity of a wall of dollar store-type products at her father’s store, Lake Cowichan Furniture and Appliances. Vomacka said most items will be $5 and under, but there will be the occasional bigger-ticket item, like the inflatable backyard pool for $19 (currently the store’s most expensive product).
“You can’t possibly do only one-dollar items, otherwise my store would probably be one-fifth of the size,” she said.
The store is located on South Shore Road, in the same building as Subway and Curry in a Hurry. It will be open seven days a week, with summer hours from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
While Vomacka is no stranger to the world of business, this is her first time owning a shop of her own.
“I’ve had my own catering business before but this will be my first retail venture. It’s exciting.”
And as for the name: “When I thought about the idea, I thought, ‘There’s DollarTree, Dollar Giant, Dollarama. Why doesn’t anyone use the word loonie?’ Our coin is a loon. And then I have all these bins and I thought: Loonie Bin.”