| Canadian Small Business of The Month | |
by Susan Ward
|
Welcome to the Canadian Small Business of the Month feature. People don't
start businesses intending to fail. Everyone who starts a business hopes that
his or her venture will be successful and long-lasting. This month's interview
is with Phil Whyte of Whyte's Framing and Gallery, which has been operating now
for over 20 years. The story of this successful business has some useful lessons
for anyone interested in longevity. Whyte's Framing and Gallery got its start in the late 70's when Terry Whyte
was taking painting lessons and her husband, Bryson, a retired high school
woodworking instructor, decided to craft her picture frames. Shops in Campbell
River and Courtenay/Comox soon started requesting Bryson's unique frames, which were
milled from cedar and stained by hand. The business grew, and Terry and Bryson opened their own shop on their
property in Courtenay. They brought in prefinished mouldings to supply their
customers' demands for more framing choices. In the mid 80's, son Phil returned to help out. "The idea", Phil
says, "was to ease my parents into retirement and then return to Vancouver.
But the building boom and consequent huge work load made it very attractive to
stay on in the valley and assume the role of heir apparent." Phil and his wife, Pamela, stayed on. In the mid 90's, Bryson and Terry sold
their property in Courtenay and moved the shop into a newly built
"cottage" in the woods on Phil and Pamela's acreage in Comox. Usually
Phil staffs the shop, although Terry often comes in to help. At one point, there were more than twenty framing shops in the
Courtenay/Comox area (commonly referred to as the Comox Valley), but the
economic downturn from 1995 through the present has taken its toll. There are
only five currently. The Whytes are justifiably proud of running the longest
surviving frame shop in the area. Phil credits this longevity to the loyalty of
their customers. Next page > Cultivating
Customer Loyalties > Page 1, 2,
3
Whyte's Framing is located at 1225 Lazo Road in Comox, B.C.. You can contact
Phil Whyte at whytes@hotmail.com or
visit his Awareness Health Corporation Web site.
Disclaimer: The Canadian Small Business of the Month feature is provided for information purposes only.
If you would like your business to be considered as The Canadian Small Business of The Month, email me at sbinfocanada.guide@about.com, and I'll send you a questionnaire. While completing a questionnaire is no guarantee of being featured in this series of articles, all completed questionnaires will be considered.
