On Beach Boutique & Gifts
5884 B Beach Avenue V0H1X7 Peachland, BC, Canada

Customer Appreciation Day 2020 The Covid way

Humans of Peachland - Chapter 4 Karen Beaupre - Owner, Southern Ridge Trading Company "Growing up, I was the girl in school who got in trouble for drawing all o...ver her papers. At home, I was the girl who got in trouble for annihilating the phone book. I would open up the Yellow Pages, take a sharpie and just doodle. I always knew when my parents were trying to find a phone number, because I would hear a loud 'KAREN' being yelled from the other side of the house. Then when we'd go camping, I wasn't the girl who was sitting in the fishing boat. I would bring a bottle of glue, and make little log cabins out sticks and moss and pinecones and whatever else I could find. Credit goes to my parents, though. They saw my creative side very early on, and realized they had to find an outlet for me, or else they would never be able to find the local plumber's number in the phone book. They put me in art classes. They put me in music lessons. Whatever they could find. I'm so thankful that they were supportive of that side of me, because it allowed me to embrace my creativity all the way through school, and into my adult life. I moved out to Alberta after graduation. I was young, adventurous and just wanted to spread my wings a little bit. My sister lived in Alberta, and she found me a waitressing job. The plan was just to work out there for the summer, but I ended up falling in love. Then I got my early childhood education certification, and things just kind of snowballed from there. Fast forward many years later, I have two beautiful daughters. My youngest was adopted, and she just turned 20. My oldest daughter is now 33, which is just so hard to believe. Among all that, I've even found the time to run several businesses along the way. I even owned a western store in Princeton. I really liked western fashion, but I couldn't quite find the style that I was looking for, so I basically turned my own designs into wearable art. But I was farming out my designs to other companies. I was very particular on the colour, size and design of the garment, so when I would get it back, I was never happy with it. Little things like my colour combinations would never turn out right. I was very specific and particular. But when you're dealing with a mass-producing facility, they don't really care. They just want to get you a hundred items as quickly and efficiently as possible. So, I decided to take matters into my own hands, and learn how to do it myself. That decision mostly came from me being pissed, and pumping out all this money to not get what I wanted. This store was born out of the same desire - to control my own destiny and do things my way. I absolutely need to be creative. I paint with watercolours, acrylics, and have started to do large canvas work, but I have never shown or sold any of my paintings. Only recently have I decided that life is too short - it's time to start showing my art to the world. I will be starting to incorporate my original paintings into my store. It's just time, and I now have that freedom to incorporate some of my other hobbies into my business. What's nice about Peachland is that it still has these 'Mom and Pop' shops. If you want Walmart, you can go to West Kelowna. Peachland hasn't been taken over by those big corporations, which is really nice to see. Since opening a few weeks ago, we've had a really good response so far. People I don't even know have been sharing my store's posts all over Facebook. Peachlanders are so friendly, and so willing to support small businesses like mine who come to town. Before I opened, I went around and introduced myself to some of the other gift stores, and I found they were all so incredibly nice. I feel so welcome here. I feel at home, and it's all because of the wonderful people in this little town." --- --- --- --- --- Southern Ridge Trading Company is open Thursday - Monday, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Karen and her laser cutting machine can do just about anything, from die cuts, to rubber stamps, to glass and wood etching. To request a custom project or see more information, visit www.chipboard.ca or pop in and see her at 5878C Beach Avenue.

Hi everyone looks like we will be reopening our store Friday May 15,2020 More info to comeHi everyone looks like we will be reopening our store Friday May 15,2020 More info to come

Now, more than ever, the business community needs your support. The Peachland Chamber of Commerce and Vantage One Credit Union are launching a Gift Card Incenti...ve Program to encourage customers to support local businesses by purchasing gift cards. We hope this initiative will provide companies with much-needed revenue during this uncertain time. The Gift Card Incentive Program is open to all Peachland businesses, so please spread the word to those you know. Want to participate? Send an email to [email protected] See more