Lake City Secondary Columneetza’s Greenologists were treated to a unique tour of downtown Williams Lake.
Mary Forbes of the Cariboo Chilcotin Conservation Society led nine students and teachers Jodie Mason and Nara Riplinger through four businesses in the core of downtown.
The group visited Angie Delainey, WLCBIA president and Satya Yoga co-owner where they were given the history of the Delainey building.
Delainey also shared her path of becoming a small business owner and her passion for living in a smaller town.
The students were able to see that with the immense support of family and friends and with a lot of elbow grease, you can carve out your own niche to become a successful entrepreneur in a small town.
Mark Denny of Cariboo Saddlery introduced the group to the art of custom saddle-making. He showed the students the different types of leather and discussed some of the environmental concerns of commercially tanning leather.
He also provided insight into the success of his business.
He repairs all types of leather items from belts to suitcases. These repairs allow customers to extend the life of their item instead of throwing it away and buying new. While the repairs would not necessarily be considered his art form, they do keep his business busy.
The real pieces of art are the hand-made tack lining the walls and the beautiful saddles.
Red Shred’s is a common place for teens to shop but the knowledge shared by owner Mark Savard was new to the group.
Savard’s store is filled with gear and clothing to help fuel human-powered sports such as biking, snowboarding, running, and kayaking.
The products packed into the store reflect Savard’s philosophy of being an environmentally-conscious business owner.
Natural fibre Merino wool socks (wool from New Zealand and made in the U.S.) provide durability and warmth. Organic cotton clothing, hemp shoes, and down-filled jackets provide better environmental choices for consumers.
Even the core of snowboards is a more sustainable Paulownia tree fibre instead of carbon fibre. Savard also repairs bikes both for customers and for donation.
Working closely with Mary Forbes, Savard helps provide free, working bicycles to locals in need as well as to various rural communities.
Providing a clean, free method of transportation for adults and a positive introduction into the sport of biking for kids is a way Savard gives back to our community and our environment.
Geoff Bourdon at Woodland Jewellers introduced the students to the fine art of jewellery making. Bourdon designs unique pieces for his customers. He can even repurpose old jewellery or incorporate old pieces into new ones.
This practice is more environmentally sustainable as new resources do not need to be extracted from the ground.
Bourdon puts a lot of thought into the products he brings into his shop as well. Using Canadian-mined diamonds and gold helps the Canadian economy but also ensures the resources are mined by workers in safe conditions and that more environmentally safe practices are followed in the extraction process.
Bourdon understands that jewellery is not a human necessity but has been part of our cultures for thousands of years, He works to provide more environmentally friendly options for shoppers in Williams Lake.
Throughout the tour, host Mary Forbes discussed some of the history of downtown Williams Lake.
She showed pictures of what Oliver Street looked like 100 years ago and discussed the movement of various buildings. Her knowledge of our local area is incredible. What is more evident, however, is Forbe’s passion for our small town.
She encouraged all of our youth to graduate, travel, attend post-secondary education and then to consider returning to Williams Lake to live and work. The opportunities are here for the making and the support from the community is endless. Just ask some of our local business owners.
Nara Riplinger is a teacher at Lake City Secondary School.