Cheryl Campbell has spent her career designing and redesigning other people’s stores, but now it’s her time.
Campbell, the owner of Alcove Homegrown Living (689 Memorial Ave., Qualicum Beach), has had a career as a visual merchandiser her for more than 25 years, but recently she said she decided it was her turn to open a store.
“I’ve always helped other people, so I thought this was a chance for me to venture out and do my own,” Campbell said, adding that she’s opened up stores many times before.
As a visual merchandiser, Campbell said she would do window displays, store merchandising and special event.
“Visual merchandisers are the people who show and sell the products,” Campbell said.
The soft opening for Alcove Homegrown Living was June 1 and then the grand opening was June 19 which Campbell said made sense because it coincided with the Father’s Day Show & Shine in Qualicum Beach.
However, Campbell said the idea for the store was a quick process.
“We decided early-ish in the spring to open, so it was a pretty quick turnaround,” said Campbell, adding that once the location became available, things started picking up. “It made me move a bit quicker than I had expected. Once we made the decision, we got organized. I gathered a team together and we pulled it all together.”
The entire process, Campbell said a “family thing.”
“Our kids were definitely really instrumental. Everyone was really supportive,” said Campbell, adding that her son Geoff, who is a graphic designer, and her daughter Kyla, who owns Realm Food Co. in Parksville, helped throughout the process.
Campbell said Kyla helped with the brand and the name of the store, while Geoff did all the brand identity for Alcove Homegrown Living.
“Everything that you see, he created and helped me design all the signage, my business cards, my promotional material, Facebook,” Campbell said.
Geoff is working on the website, which he said is a “work in progress,” but it should be up and running in about a month.
Geoff said he spent a lot of time drawing different forms and shapes to come up with the logo.
“We just wanted it to feel natural and organic to fit the mood of the shop,” Geoff said.
The whole premise behind Alcove Homegrown Living is products that are made within 100 miles of the store.
“If I was going to open a retail store, I wanted to do something that was in my heart, something that I believed in and supporting the community,” Campbell said.
And people already recognize some of the designers’ and artists’ work in the store, according to Campbell.
“People walk in, they’re excited, they’re happy to see that it is all locally made and they see some of the names of the people that we’re supporting, and they’re like, ‘Oh, I know that person,’” she said.
Campbell said she built the business on body care, wearables, edibles, artwork and things for the home.
When coming up with the idea for the store, Campbell said she had an idea of some of the products she wanted to sell. She added she went to the Make It show in Vancouver to get an idea for some handmade products.
“I wanted to get the vibe and see what are people selling, what are people making so i’m up on bringing in products that are current and interesting and what people would wanted,” Campbell said.
Mikhayla Roht is helping out in the store for the summer, and she said Alcove Homegrown Living has garnered a positive response from the community.
“A lot of people said they have been waiting for it,” Roht said.
Alcove Homegrown Living is open Tuesday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
To find out more about Alcove Homegrown Living and to see some of their products, visit their Facebook page Alcove Homegrown Living.