Business News
Business is booming in the Glebe! The Glebe BIA introduces a new Glebe brand and logo, Vac Shack celebrates 40 years, Brittons is transforming and embracing a new business model, and Peter Christensen of Punchline Communications shows us how he balances work, life and play.
BIA rolls out new Glebe brand and logo
Vac Shack – forty years of life on Bronson
At Brittons,
a 21st century transformation
Passion for punctuation!
BIA rolls out new Glebe brand and logo
By Christine Currie
Be Unique. Be Bold. Be Stylish. Be Yourself.
Wherever you are, whoever you are, the Glebe is the place to be.
To add to the ambiance, colourful decals and posters sporting the new brand adorned shop windows. The BIA enlisted the assistance of The Ottawa Ice, a local ringette team that recently won the Canadian National championships, to hand out buttons, stamp passersby with new brand-themed hand stamps, and welcome them to the Glebe. The Ecology Ottawa Great Green Garage Sale team sported “BE green Glebe” shirts and gave early birds refillable water bottles branded with the new Glebe look.
Social media followers were quick to express their appreciation of the new brand and the free swag, including the water bottles. Other Twitter feeds began creating tag lines for stores in the Glebe such as “BE musical.”
“About a year ago we embarked on a journey to review our brand. Extensive research was done, with support from the City of Ottawa,” said BIA chair Greg Best. “From there we went out to a Request for Proposal (RFP) to hire an agency to help us develop a look and feel. The Board and Marketing Committee were all part of the process, and we had unanimous agreement. The new look, colour palette and tag lines are perfect for the Glebe!”
The brand exercise included development of a corporate logo as well as the public-facing brand. The BIA expects to continue the rollout over the next few months with banners, website updates and integration into BIA marketing materials. In addition, a merchant tool kit has been developed so that businesses in the area can use the new look in their marketing.
“Our position is you can “be” whoever you want in the Glebe – everyone is welcome, and we have something for everyone,” said Best. “The Glebe is a great place to spend a morning, afternoon or entire day. It really is about an experience versus just shopping. Strolling the streets, grabbing a coffee or attending a theatre school, we have the perfect blend of history and what’s hot. Now we have a real invitation out to people to come and see for themselves.”
Christine Currie works with Outside the Cube, the agency that created the new brand. It was also responsible for developing and launching the very successful Glebe Spree.
Vac Shack – forty years of life on Bronson
by Martha Bowers
I had a most pleasant afternoon chatting with Paravan, long-time employee and now owner of Vac Shack, who told me many stories about the business. Laurier Lachapelle, the original owner, started training as a bench mechanic in vacuum repair, became a Hoover door-to-door salesman in 1955, and eventually became district sales manager. With years of experience in sales and service, Lachapelle decided to open his own shop on Cambridge Street. He also designed and built his own vacuum cleaner – the Hide-a-Vac – which was a great seller at one time. When the property at 686 Bronson Avenue came up for sale in 1974, Lachapelle bought it and Vac Shack has been there ever since. He expanded the business and opened two other stores in 1980. Now there is only one other, in Stittsville, operated by his son.
Vac Shack’s clientele comes from all over the city as well as farther afield. Customers from Barbados, Colombia and Nunavut have even brought their vacuum cleaners back to Ottawa for repairs! The company services old models and all makes, canisters and uprights, for both residential and commercial customers. Business is about half sales and half service, both on- and offsite. Today central vacuums are the biggest sellers, but Glebe people like portables so they don’t have to break the walls in the old houses. Vac Shack also sells all kinds of cleaning products, including an exclusive laundry soap from Germany, and special mops for hardwood floors. When asked if the Bronson location has helped or hindered the business, Lachapelle replied, “You couldn’t have a better spot. No need for expensive ads. We have attracted many customers from all that traffic going by. And it’s very central, just off the Queensway.”
Paravan, as a young boy growing up on Powell Avenue, had a paper route whose last stop was Vac Shack. There he got to know Lachapelle, who basically trained him in vacuum repair. Although he obtained a licence as an automotive technician, he continued to come by the shop to help out off and on over the years. Fifteen years ago Lachapelle suffered a stroke and Paravan gave up his own garage to run Vac Shack, continuing to provide the same pleasant, knowledgeable service that he learned from his boss.
Excellent customer relations have long been a distinguishing trademark of Vac Shack. The staff will sometimes waive the charges for simple repairs and often offer repairs and advice by phone at no charge. They have given vacuums away to churches and other groups, support a ball team in Stittsville and donate to many causes. Their philosophy is to recycle as much as possible and their trade-in policy has resulted in a huge inventory of spare parts – the shop is now overflowing! Should you be looking for something for your old Electrolux, you might just find it there.
But Paravan mentioned that the times and demographics are changing. “The big box stores sell cheap vacuums that are not worth fixing. The older models were better made, but we live in a throw-away society where everyone wants something new even if it’s not well made.”
Despite this, business seems to be thriving at Vac Shack. While they celebrate 40 years on Bronson, they are offering monthly specials. Why not drop in and meet your local vacuum repairman? You might also pick up a great bargain, find a part you’ve been searching for or purchase a German-made Sebo, the best vacuum cleaner, according to both Lachapelle and Paravan.
Although most of us don’t like cleaning, we still need to vacuum the dust, mop the floors and clean the carpets, and Vac Shack has everything you need to keep your house spotless.
Glebe resident Martha Bowers is a familiar face at community organization meetings and a behind-the scenes presence at the Glebe Report where she both proofreads the paper and serves on the Board of Directors.
At Brittons, a 21st century transformation
by Isabella Mindak
Starting in January 2014, Britton took away the middle magazine shelf in his store, added tables and chairs and offered self-serve Cuban coffee, tea and delectable squares from Totally Squared, a local baker. The objective – to entice customers to sit down, relax and enjoy the many products in his store. In time, the space could double as an area for new retailers and artisans to flaunt their goods and services.
Next, he looked for zealous merchants who would want in on this win-win situation. “I contacted the Ottawa Valley Crafts and Collectibles Guild (OVCCG),” recounts Britton. The OVCCG has many members and they host shows three or four times a year in Ottawa. “So I asked if any members wanted a retail presence,” says Britton. “They pay for a space and table in my store Saturdays or Wednesdays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.”
Mission accomplished. “Right now, Brittons has over 18 artisan bookings for May with more than 10 different brands represented and even more merchants scheduled for June,” notes Brock Shillington, a social media strategist and marketing manager. He has been working with Britton to invigorate the store’s online presence, help with marketing ideas and execution and launch the new business model.
Award-winning nature and landscape photographer Jane Cass was the first of many local artisans to use Brittons as a temporary storefront to show her ready-to-frame, matted photographs and photo note cards. “I would recommend it,” says Crass. “I’m booked every Wednesday in May so I’m hoping that once people know I’m here, they’ll come.”
Cass believes her presence at Brittons will trigger more sales when she keeps posting details about her shows on her own website and Facebook page. She also advises that while showing at Brittons, merchants like herself can give clients the option of picking up their pre-ordered items in the Glebe, if that location is more accessible. According to marketing analysis on hubspot.com, 61 per cent of global Internet users research products online, so resuscitating Brittons’ Internet presence was a critical step to spread the word. As Shillington points out, “At first, I went to all of Ted’s online platforms. I refreshed his Twitter and Facebook presence and I created a new profile for Brittons on Instagram and Google Plus. In the future I’m hoping to create a Brittons YouTube channel for a video presence too.”
“I jumped on Twitter and engaged with people I didn’t know,” Shillington continues. “All of a sudden I started to chat with a variety of artists and I asked them if they’d ever been to Brittons before. They had come here for magazines, but they didn’t know they could showcase their work here.” Once the spark was ignited, the fire spread. “After we got his online presence out there, his audience started coming to him.”
“In the future, we’re also hoping to register with a company called thestorefront.com,” says Britton with a grin. “Ever hear of pop-up stores? You can see some of them in the Rideau Centre and other malls sometimes.” They’re temporary retailers that pop up in a location for a short time and then disappear. Thestorefront.com is a website that connects artists, designers and retailers with local retail spaces around the world. “These would be larger companies like Chanel who might be thinking, ‘we’re not in Ottawa now, but we’d like to see what the market is like in Ottawa,’” he adds. “So when I’m registered on thestorefront.com, they would call me and talk about renting my space here.”
It’s an exciting time. But it wasn’t always this way. “Ted was facing the possibility of closure just a few months ago,” remarks Shillington. But with this 21st-century business model, Brittons’ future looks a lot brighter.
Brittons monthly guest schedule is in the Glebe Report. Interested merchants should contact Brittons at edwardbritton0@gmail.com or 613-237-6116.
Visitors who appreciate the new experience can post their comments on Yelp: www.yelp.ca/biz/brittons-glebe-ottawa and/or Google+: google.com/+BrittonsGlebeIncOttawa and be entered in a Canada Day draw for a gift certificate at Brittons.
Glebe resident Isabella Mindak is a photojournalist who likes to keep her eye on the main street scene.
Passion for punctuation!
By Ian Miller
You won’t find Punchline Communications on the front line of the Bank Street strip. You might, however, find entrepreneur Peter Christensen at a local coffee shop or café reading through texts, swapping commas for semicolons and searching for the perfect word on behalf of a writer. Editing is much more than correcting grammatical mistakes. Often compared to the art of sculpting, the editing that Christensen offers includes everything from the big picture substantive edit, to stylistic editing, right down to proofreading and indexing. “It’s challenging but it’s rewarding when you end up with an article that was kind of what the reporter had wanted originally,” said Glebe resident Christensen, who started operating Punchline Communications from his home last September.
His work includes copy editing one of Canada’s most popular digital fashion magazines – FAJO Magazine – as well as books for HarperCollins in subject matter ranging from superfoods to Gordie Howe’s hockey memoirs. He’s written profiles for the High Commission of Trinidad and Tobago and even helps students to optimize their essays. “It’s very dynamic in some ways,” Christensen explains of the various types of content he works with. “You never really know what your next project will be and it’s always something new. What I like most is trying to help the writer improve what they’ve already written – to keep the writer’s voice, style and tone of it – but making sure it comes across clear, concise and error free.”
Christensen has a knack for spotting errors and working with text. It might surprise you to know he does so with only about 25 per cent vision. “When people hear that I do editing and proofreading, they’re surprised because it’s detailed work, but thanks to technology, it’s possible for me to do it.”
Christensen had perfect vision up until the age of 18 when a routine trip to the doctor lead to a dozen surgeries to try to reattach his retinas. His vision has been stable for almost 20 years and he is able to see strong light. Christensen concedes it was quite an adjustment in the beginning, but he has found ways to adapt. He has software that can zoom in on text, reverse colours and project on large monitors.
“It can be a bit slower because I have to move the text around a lot. I don’t see a full sentence at a time always. But I might spot some details because it’s all the way down to apostrophes facing the right way, so it might be an advantage of some sort,” he suggests, noting that a lot of proofreading is still done by hand, the old-fashioned way.
Originally from Denmark, Christensen immigrated to Canada eight or nine years ago because of a relationship. In Denmark he worked in human resources and payroll. In searching for a new career in Canada, he spent time trying to nail down what he wanted to do. Editor first came across his radar through an online skills test and with a bit of research, he decided it would be a good match, given his attention to detail and ear for languages. He enrolled in the publishing program at Ryerson University and completed his degree last year. “I took a chance on it and it kind of worked out. As soon as I started the courses I felt comfortable and knew this was the right track to be on. So now I’m taking it from there and seeing if I can grow a business from it.”
Christensen speaks Danish, English and German but he focuses on editing in English. He says the hardest part of starting his own business has been finding clients but he’s optimistic the local angle will give him an edge and he sees potential for working with Danish businesses operating internationally. In addition to his professional interests, Christensen is also involved with social issues and is a board member for the Society for International Development. His other interests include music, reading, video games and travelling.
He has a daughter in Grade 2 at First Avenue Public School and his current line of work allows him to manage his work-life balance. “I have the flexibility working from home that I can take care of my daughter and I can do the business thing too.”
Working from home has become an increasingly popular trend according to a 2011 Statistics Canada study. Punchline Communications is just one example of a Glebe-based business that has a home office rather than a storefront. Christensen says whether you’re a resident, a store owner or a freelancer, there’s a distinctive community feel that makes the Glebe a vibrant place to live and work.
“I like that even though you are in almost downtown Ottawa you still feel like you’re in your own community,” states Christensen. “It’s a very good family area and there are a lot of young families in the neighbourhood. I just feel happy being here.”
Ian Miller has been a Business Buzz writer for the Glebe Report for several seasons. He is now moving on to new chllenges. Says Miller, “Over the past year and a half, it’s been my pleasure to share stories and profile some of the talent behind what makes the Glebe business community such a vibrant force in Ottawa. It has been a fascinating and inspiring experience to interview entrepreneurs in the midst of launching their dreams. Thanks to everyone who made this such a memorable volunteer experience.”
Do you operate a home-based business in the Glebe? The Glebe Report invites you to share your story idea. Email editor@glebereport.ca
