Back to HomeFeature Article - January 22, 2009 Survival advice for local business

By Julie Druker

Frontenac CFDC's Dave Smith and Jenna Farnsworth host Amber and Ryan Seeds of Seeds and Company

The Frontenac CFDC presented a free workshop, “Surviving in Difficult Economic Times” at the Sydenham Town Hall on Monday January 19 with guest speaker Ryan Seeds of Seeds and Company of Sharbot Lake and Kingston.

Geared to small businesses, Seeds’ presentation was a general overview of the current economic situation and advice to local businesses of how best to prepare for what might be considered a difficult year.

While some guests debated the media hype of the certain doom and gloom forecast, and insisted that they have done as well this past year if not better than previous years, Seeds weighed the widely varying views of the professionals and concluded, “The consensus is that this year is going to be a down year.” He continued, “You want to weather the storm and the storm is coming.”

Seeds was also adamant that different businesses will be affected differently. His goal for the evening? “I hope this will start you thinking: ‘How will this impact my customers? How is this going to trickle down to me?’”

Seeds summed up the doom side of the equation: the sub-prime mortgage crisis, the decline in the construction industry, banks wary to lend, huge layoffs (Canada lost 105,000 jobs between Nov. and Dec. 2008), and the financial market collapse.

He then focused on “cash flow” since it is most likely to shrink as a result of decreased consumer spending, the latter being the most likely outcome of the economic downturn.

Seeds explained how to keep the money flowing. His suggestions were punctuated by examples offered up from local business representatives in attendance:

Among them: increase revenue by paying attention to big customers to find out if you will be impacted by them and also explore new products and new markets

For example, Darcy Snider and Chris Bliss of Uptown Dairy in Sydenham will be milking 1500 goats instead of cows come mid-February, a foray into a completely new product and market.

Seeds continued: Reduce expenses by reducing employees and overtime, do what work you can do yourself, and advertise by networking, emailing and giving referrals

The former owner of Desert Lake Family Campground near Verona took advantage of this trend years ago. When competitors totally dropped their advertising, he doubled theirs, which put the business on the map in a big way.

Seeds suggested improving cash flow through emailing invoices to speed up payments and accepting Visa, MC and debit. Seeds admitted, “We’re just starting that this year at our company.” He also encouraged bartering and said, “My dad’s been bartering since I was a kid. We got free skis and a snowmobile and whatever we could work out with a client.”

Seeds encouraged business owners to take time to consider the dreaded “What if” scenarios. He suggested, “You need to measure things and pay attention so that you can take action when you see things starting to slip…There has to be a specific point where you decide to take action.” Letting things slide and being hopeful that things will eventually turn around was not the suggested approach.

Seeds ended the evening on a positive note and explained that opportunities always arise in difficult situations. Service businesses can benefit from large company layoffs, which make space for part time and contract workers to step in and pick up some of the slack.

The tendency of customers to price shop can also give smaller companies more business. Seeds admitted that he has recently gained new clients this way.

He also cited the example of the green paint lawn painter who is making a fortune painting the dead lawns of foreclosed homes in the States at $100.00 a pop to enhance their resale value.

While no one will likely be making a bundle this side of the border on foreclosures, Seeds is right that every cloud has its silver lining, “If you’re out there looking”.

Back to HomeFeature Article - January 15, 2009 Unique diapers in high demand

by Julie Druker

Dave Limber and Laura Baldwin.

Sharbot Lake residents Dave Limber and Laura Baldwin are both life and business partners. Their business, El Bee Baby.com, is a web-based business that they run out of their home in Sharbot Lake.

The couple make and sell hand-made, fitted, snapping, organic cotton cloth diapers and other children’s accessories, and their products, especially the diapers, are in incredibly high demand.

The parents of two young children, the business came about 6 years ago when Laura decided to cloth diaper her youngest child Finn. She recalls, “I hated the cloth diapers we were using. They were super bulky, just enormous. You couldn’t get clothes over them and he looked like a door stopper so I decided to see if I could come up with something better.”

With a fine arts degree and experience sewing Laura started the business and had some definite objectives when she first set out. “I wanted to have plastic snaps for a better fit and I wanted to use organic cotton.” Laura obviously has aesthetic goals and the diapers are as beautiful as they are functional.

The couple both work on the production of the diapers. Dave washes, hand dyes and cuts the material and does the initial sewing. He also applies the poly resin snaps and does all the packaging and shipping. Laura does the design work, 2/3 of the sewing, the decorative stitching and the assembly.

Each diaper takes over one hour to make and involves 20 specific steps. The diapers are colorful, incredibly soft, and durable. They come in 7 sizes and are reusable, easy to wash and dry, comfortable and aesthetically pleasing. To be honest I’ve never seen a more beautiful diaper in my life. And I am not the only one who thinks so.

Business has been booming since the business started 6 years ago and the couple have not been able to keep up with the demand for their diapers. They have never had to advertise their products either.

Dave explains that they sell by “word of web”. People in the market for cloth diapers apparently are a tightly knit group and word gets around quickly on the web when you are offering a sound product.

In fact the demand for their diapers so outweighs the supply that custom orders are sold on their site by lottery. Similarly their online store often sells out very quickly.

Most of their customers are from the States but they sell internationally as well and have customers in Spain, Japan, Brazil, Ireland, Croatia, Israel, Australia

Many customers are also repeat buyers; one in particular has purchased roughly 60 diapers, which demonstrates the fierce loyalty that their product has generated.

The diapers run from $35 -$55 and Laura admits, "We are pretty top of the line in the industry." She goes on to explain that the diapers are extremely time consuming to make and there are a lot of expenses involved, which makes the profit margin relatively small.

Dave and Laura are not looking at this time to increase their production by expanding their business outside of their home, although the demand is there. Rather they are happy right now to be the sole makers and to keep the business small and in their home.

To view their products visit www.elbeebaby.com

Back to HomeFeature Article - February 26, 2009 North Frontenac Council - By Jeff Green

Gunsinger for Order of Ontario

North Frontenac Councillor Elaine Gunsinger was feeling a bit sheepish about putting a particular individual forward to answer a call from Ontario’s Lieutenant Governor David Onley for nominations to the Order of Ontario. But other members of North Frontenac staff and council assured her she was not contravening any conflict of interest guidelines by proposing that the township nominate Bernice Gunsinger, Elaine’s mother-in-law.

In fact, according to Clerk-Planning co-ordinator Brenda DeFosse, Bernice had been nominated in a previous year, but had not been named to the order at that time.

“There is nothing stopping us from nominating her again,” said Mayor Maguire, “she is certainly a top candidate.”

In the call for nominations, David Onley asked a question, “Do you know someone who deserves recognition for extraordinary achievements, whose superlative contributions have had an impact on their local community, the province, our country or beyond?

Bernice Gunsinger's “impact on the local community” can be measured in many ways after about 70 years of community volunteer efforts. Council is now holding their meetings in a modern, spacious room overlooking a gleaming fire hall, for which over $100,000 was raised by the Ladies Fire Auxiliary, or the “Fire Ladies” as they were known.

Bernice Gunsinger was the first fire lady. She called the first meeting, and got the ball rolling. Just as a building is built one brick at a time, the Fire Ladies raised $100,000 one square at a time, or one cup of coffee at a time. They raised $50 here, $100 there, at community breakfasts and teas over years, banking money slowly over time.

“She started a long, long time before the fire ladies,” Elaine said, “she's been doing the same thing with other groups for decades.”

Township staff will look into preparing the nomination papers, which are due on March 16.

Becoming Elektra ...fied - Frank Roy, from Elektra Observatories, made his first appearance before North Frontenac council. The non-profit organization hopes to build a state-of-the-art astronomical observatory at Mallory Hill, which is located at the western edge of the township on the border with Addington Highlands on the Buckshot Lake Road.

As Roy has stated in presentations to Frontenac County, Lennox and Addington County and to local MPP Randy Hiller and MP Scott Reid, the location was chosen because it has the darkest skies in southern Ontario.

The observatory, which is named the “One Metre Initiative” because of the characteristics of the electronic telescope the group intends to build, would be remotely controlled.

“In order to preserve the darkness of the night sky, which is of critical importance in the observatory, Elektra seeks to have new bylaws enacted,” Frank Roy said. “This will also help in establishing the area as an International Dark Sky Preserve as defined by the International Dark Sky Association.”

So, while Roy is pitching the project as a tourism promotion opportunity for North Frontenac, he is also asking that none of this tourist infrastructure be located in the immediate vicinity of Mallory Hill itself.

There is a precedent for this, according to Roy. At Mont Megantic, in Quebec, a provincial park has been established near an observatory, and $10 million in tourism dollars is generated at that site each year.

There is a potential connection to Bon Echo Park. If 20% per cent of Bon Echo's 200,000 annual visitors came and spent $25 each it would generate $1 million” Roy said. He envisions that a visitors’ centre could be located somewhere on Highway 41.

Steve Smart, owner of Smart's Marina on Mazinaw Lake, was at the meeting and said “I have trouble getting my head around how the visitors’ centre could be that far away from the observatory itself.”

Frank Roy suggested that his focus would be on the observatory but that he would be open to ideas from the townships, the county, the local business communities and even the provincial government to capitalize on the promotional opportunities offered by the project.

“The key in Quebec was the buy-in from the provincial government,” said North Frontenac Deputy Mayor Jim Beam.

Frank Roy will be making a presentation at Addington Highlands Council next week, and is hoping to meet soon with Leona Dombrowsky, the Ontario Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.

He suggested that a steering committee be formed to consider the economic potential of the project from a regional angle, and proposed that a first meeting be held in the coming months, perhaps in Sharbot Lake.

Deputy Mayor Beam volunteered to represent the township to the committee. He has been involved in establishing a township business group in recent months.

“This is like something that has just fallen from the sky; in other words it’s an initiative we couldn't plan any better,” said Mayor Ron Maguire, promising the township’s co-operation in enacting necessary bylaws and working with Roy to develop the project.

The Elektra Observatory now has $26,000 in seed money funding, $14,000 from the Frontenac Community Futures Development Corporation, and $12,000 from the members of its board of directors. It has partnerships with three universities, but must raise $2 million from the philanthropic sector in order to come to fruition.

“We will be operational three years from receiving funding,” Frank Roy said.

Concerns over telephone service – Council received a letter from Catherine Tysick of Northern Frontenac Community Services. The letter expressed a concern that came to Tysick from the agency’s Seniors’ Advisory Committee about interruptions to phone service in the Ompah-Snow Road corridor.

“As you can imagine this is of great concern to seniors who may need to access emergency services but cannot. The frail elderly are particularly at risk,” the letter said.

The township is planning to put in an emergency phone at the ambulance station at Lavant Road, which would be operational when other phones are not, and will consider putting another one in at another location.

“I think we should communicate with Bell,” said Mayor Maguire

Hall rentals for not for profits - Land O'Lakes Community Services has requested that the township waive rental fees for a fundraising supper, and a seniors’ group made a similar request for their Tai Chi classes. Council did not agree to the requests, but the cost to non-profit groups for community halls is only $15 for four hours, and this information will be forwarded to the two organisations. 

Photo: Janet Barr of the Treasure Trunk, Pat Furlong and Sue Theriault of the Frontenac CFDC

Members of the business community of Central Frontenac had a chance to network on May 19 over breakfast at the Sharbot Lake Country Inn and were greeted by Mayor Janet Gutowski, chair of the Central Frontenac Economic Development Committee, which put on the event. “Our goal is to hold these breakfasts at least a couple of times a year so business owners can get together to share ideas and goals. Our aim is to fill a gap since we don’t have a local business association or a chamber of commerce.”

Guest speaker at the event was Pat Furlong, the new chair of the Hands on Harvest group, which puts out an annual guide of local food producers. Furlong co-owns and operates a local family farm and spoke about the group’s recent proposal to start a farmers’ market at the Sharbot Lake beach.

Furlong is excited about the proposal that she put forward to council at their regular meeting on May 10. Council is now investigating the logistics and will be reporting back at its next meeting on May 24. “There is lots of support at this point. We are just waiting for council’s report,“ Furlong said. “I just spoke to Sue Theriault of the Frontenac CFDC and they are willing to help us out with funding for signage, which is really exciting.” Pat is hoping that ten vendors will take part regularly in the market. The location has yet to be determined.

Janet Gutowski is an avid supporter of grass roots businesses movements. “In my experience, the best business development economic solutions tend to be the grass roots movements from local citizens such as the Hands on Harvest group who are here in the community to stay. These grass roots movements involve people from the community who are in it for the long haul and who are thinking about sustainable economic development, which is very exciting.”

Would you like to make a difference in your community? Do you have some free time to devote to an interesting and fun volunteer project? Do you enjoy seeing people having fun? If you answered yes, then the Agricultural Society would love to hear from you. The Parham Agricultural Society hosts Central Frontenac’s largest and longest-running festival.

The Parham Fair has seen an increase in the size of events, exhibits and vendors over the past several years. This growth has, in turn, increased the need for the organization’s volunteers to help with the planning and running of this annual event. Some members of the board have been involved for many years, and will continue to support the event, but in a less active position or perhaps on a specific committee. Our primary annual event – The Parham Fair – needs your skills to continue making it a successful community event. We currently have four vacancies to be filled: President, Treasurer, Palace Chairperson and Fair Book Chairperson.

We are also looking for volunteers on our numerous committees. We meet every third Tuesday of the month to discuss business as it relates to the Fair and the Agricultural Society. If you have an interest in any of these positions or would just like to devote some time to the fair please contact us, if possible, prior to our Annual General Meeting being held January 17. Send a brief note outlining your interest along with contact information to: Secretary, Parham Agricultural Society, P.O. Box 38, Parham, ON, K0H 2K0 or by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. We look forward to hearing from you!

Heather Fox and Nicole Van Camp recently opened their side-by-side retail gift stores in Verona

Newly opened on Main Street in Verona are two side-by-side retail gift stores that occupy what was once the former auto parts store.

The building, owned by Chad and Nicole Van Camp of Verona who also own Rona Hardware, is now the home of "Nicole’s", a home and garden gift store. Next door and also just opened for business is the Main Street Mercantile and Tea Room, operated by Heather Fox of Godfrey.

For both ladies the businesses represent a dream come true and a foray into the retail gift market, which judging by the steady flow of customers last Saturday afternoon is attracting the attention of many local shoppers.

The stores share an entranceway and are connected through a side door. They offer shoppers an eclectic array of old and new world giftware.

Nicole has filled her store with new home and garden items that include garden décor, tools and planters, a line of gourmet food items by Rootham‘s and Summer Kitchen, as well as local crafts and a selection of gift ware that includes alpaca throws, functional ceramics, picture frames and other gifts perfect for every occasion.

Prior to opening the gift store Nicole had been working with her husband Chad at Rona Hardware. She said, “This new business is something we had been thinking about for a while and it is really much more my cup of tea so when the lease here ran out here I thought- now is the time to make a go of it.”

She admits there are challenges that come with starting up any new business and says, “Finding the things that people really want will be a challenge and I also hope to sell items by local artisans which will keep things fresh and new.”

Next door Heather Fox is tending to her customers amid her collection of antique gift ware and furniture that she has been acquiring at auctions for over a decade.

In the centre of the store are two tables set up for customers who might want to enjoy a hot beverage, a snack of homemade soup or chili or a yummy dessert.

Prior to taking on her own business Heather worked at Jitterbugs in Verona for two years and sold her collectibles on commission there.

Now Heather has a place to display her entire collection, which includes a wide array of antique colored glassware, teapots, ceramics, teddy bears and dolls, baskets, used books and various antique furniture pieces including hutches, dressers, side tables, and china cabinets.

For Heather it is her “dream come true. “I have been collecting items from auctions for years and was running out of room in my house. So this is just perfect for me.”

The two are planning an official grand opening on Saturday, April 24 where they will be offering door prizes and snacks. Until then their doors are open for business.

 

The 2010 municipal election is still seven months away and nominations will be open for another five months, but there are already a couple of new candidates for what has been one of the most stable wards in Frontenac County.

The Oso ward of Central Frontenac, which includes the Village of Sharbot Lake, and areas to the north, south and east, has been served by two councilors for most of the existence of Central Frontenac Council.

Since amalgamation in 1998, Bob Harvey has been one of the Oso councilors. Frances Smith took over when a councilor left in mid-term in 2002, and has been in place ever since. Smith also served as reeve of the former Oso Township before amalgamation. Neither Smith nor Harvey has indicated whether they are running again, but two other people have already filed papers to run, both from the local business community.

Wayne Millar, who operates Sharbot Lake Lawn Service with his daughter, and Rick Greenstreet, a former teacher and business operator, who is involved in his own daughter’s business at Fit Plus on Clement Road, have both filed their nomination papers in Oso ward.

Other candidates that have filed include Tom Dewey in Kennebec Ward, and Logan Murray, who has filed for the mayor’s position.

None of the incumbents in Central Frontenac have filed papers thus far, although the current mayor, Janet Gutowski, has indicated that she intends to seek re-election.

In South Frontenac, Mayor Davison is running for re-election and Councilor Bill Robinson (Portland) is also seeking re-election. The only other candidate who has entered the field thus far is Percy Snider, a candidate for council in Loughborough ward.

In North Frontenac, Deputy Mayor Jim Beam is seeking the mayor's job, and Ward 3 (Palmerston-Canonto) Councilor Bob Olmstead is seeking re-election.

In Addington Highlands, Reeve Hogg is seeking re-election, and Lynn Garnish and former councilor William (Bill) Cox are both seeking election in Ward 2, which encompasses the southern portion of the township.

The new owners of the Verona IGA, Clint and Andrea Reid

Just a few weeks after their move to Verona, Clint and Andrea Reid, the new owners of the Verona IGA, have taken hold of the reins of a new business and a new life for themselves and their family.

The fact that it already feels like home after a few short weeks is proof to them that they have made a very good decision.

Born and raised in Peterborough the Reids are experienced grocery store operators. They owned and operated an IGA in Omemee for nine years and prior to that operated the Foodland store in Norwood, ON for a decade.

Clint admits to learning the business “the hard way from the bottom up” starting out at 14 and slowly working his way up to a full-time position at an Oshawa Food City. After that he worked in promotion for Food City in Toronto for a number of years until he decided that he wanted to get into the independent side of the business. That decision led Clint and his family first to Norwood, then to Omemee, and just three weeks ago to Verona.

While raising their two daughters Amanda and Mackenzie, Andrea Reid had also worked, first running her own daycare business and later working full-time at PepsiCo, Quaker Oats in Peterborough while also working part-time at the Omemee store.

With their two daughters grown and enrolled in college and university programs, the Reids, who have always wanted to live in the country, jumped at the chance when the recent opportunity to purchase the Verona IGA presented itself. Andrea recalled, “We immediately fell in love with the area when we came to see the store. The decision to move here involved myself and Clint but also our kids. When they came out here they also fell in love with it. I think we were all ready for a change.”

Taking on a former family business in a small community is also something the Reids are very familiar with and understand the intricacies of.

Clint said, “We really wanted to put all of the staff here at ease immediately and for them to know that we were counting on everybody to be a part of this. That was the same approach we took in Omemee, which was also a family-owned store and we had wonderful success there.”

According to Clint one important factor when stepping into a former family business like the Brooks’ is to build on what has already been established. Clint explained, “This business is very solid. The challenge will be taking something that is running well and trying to make it our own. Whenever you get into an ownership change the hardest thing is to realize that everyone tends to do things a little differently.”

That being said the Reids do have a couple of future plans for change in the works.

Clint explained, “We are definitely going to make investments into the business. We are currently planning a bit of a face lift with a focus on quality and freshness and we plan to put some new equipment into the store. We are hoping to have a grand opening in April, which I think the community will really enjoy.”

When I probed the Reids regarding a possible name change Clint replied, “I think it’s very important that we keep the community name “Verona” as the business name so right now it will be the Verona IGA.” The Reids are extremely pleased with the overwhelming reception they have received from the community, which has included numerous gifts and cards.

Clint said, “ I had really great relationships with all of the businesses and social groups in Omemee and that is something that I am also looking forward to here. I also believe that it’s part of our obligation as a local business to support local community events.”

The store staff have also been very accepting and Andrea said, “Since I have been working here for the last week I feel like I have known the people for years, which really says a lot.”

So from here on in it is business as usual at the Verona IGA. The only other change the Reids are considering is getting a dog. In Andrea’s words…“Everyone here seems to have one.”

 

 

Chris Wittish of Critter Creations

Springtime is not only the time to spruce up your home and garden; it is also a great time to give your pet or pets a tidy up and/or hair cut as the warm weather approaches.

Chris Wittish of Harrowsmith can do just that at her new home-based business called Critter Creations, which she opened in January this year.

Chris, who worked as a veterinary technologist for 15 years at the Cataraqui Pet Hospital, decided long ago that a home-based business would be ideal for her and her young family and took an eight-week course with Barb Matheson of Pets Beautiful in Toronto.

For Chris this business is a dream come true. “I’ve always wanted to have a home business that involved animals. When my husband and I were looking at houses we knew that my home business would be a part of it.”

Her shop is an immaculate, brand-new 400 square foot workshop attached to her home, fully equipped with 2 tubs, a lower and higher one for small and large dogs, four cages with a cage dryer and a professional groomer`s table.

There is ample space for animals to mingle and play while they wait their turn and Chris is also planning to fence off an outdoor area where the animals can spend time outdoors.

Chris offers a full range of grooming services for cats and dogs including grooming, nail trims, ear cleaning, baths, full clippings and stylized clipping for special breeds like poodles and cocker spaniels and others.

She also carries a wide variety of specialized shampoos for pets with skins conditions. Her veterinarian background provides her with a thorough knowledge of various pet issues that might become apparent at a grooming session and she is comfortable with animals that have medical issues.

"Once I had a dog who after his grooming showed a large tumour on his face that needed medical attention. Though I cannot diagnose I can always offer an opinion, which with my 15 years of experience as a veterinary technologist, can be helpful for owners."

It doesn’t take long to realize that Chris’ business is indeed a labour of love. “Some of the animals are just so happy and excited to be here that for me it doesn’t feel like work at all. I get to play with animals all day so it’s really enjoyable for me too.”

Pet grooming does not come without its own set of challenges, which Chris also pointed out. “When you have a more nervous animal you have to try to understand why that is and work with them to alleviate their stress. Because I’ve been around animals for so many years I know what I have to do to make them feel comfortable.”

Chris explains that regular grooming is important especially for certain breeds with long hair that can get matted, become painful for the animal and cause skin issues.

Chris prefers clients to call and make appointments but admits that she is pretty flexible. She is also happy to take animals for the entire day if it is more convenient for owners.

Chris stresses that her business is most definitely here to stay and says,” For me this business is definitely something that I am committed to. It is not just a whim. I have put a lot of time and energy into the shop and it is something that I am very proud of.”

Chris prefers clients to make an appointment but says she is pretty flexible. Anyone looking for a professional grooming service for their critter can make an appointment with Chris at 613-377-1717 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Critter Creations is located at 5084 Wallace Road in Harrowsmith.

 

Time is not easy to find on a summer morning at Smart's Marina. It is now, officially, the high season on Lake Mazinaw, but at first it did not seem to be that busy when I walked into Smart's Marina on Monday, July 5.

Steve Smart was standing next to a giant outboard motor in the small showroom, near the marina store, directing traffic as the staff were moving boats and serving customers at the store.

He ushered me into Pauline Smart's office. “We'll see if we can get some time to talk,” he said.

Steve Smart grew up spending summers at Mazinaw Lake, and in 1974 his parents bought the marina from the Lester family and re-named it Smart's Marina.

In the 1980s he was living in Peterborough, where he met his wife Pauline. Steve worked at a number of marinas and eventually at the Three Buoys houseboat business in Bobcaygeon on the Kawartha Lakes.

So when Steve and Pauline bought the marina from Steve's parents in 1990, it was the natural extension of their career paths.

While the number of marinas on local lakes has been diminishing, Smart's Marina has continued to thrive. “There is no such thing as a recession-proof business.” Steve said, “but we find that when boat sales drop back because money is tight, people spend more money on maintenance and repairs. Since we sell and repair boats and motors, we get some business either way.”

The marina also provides docking service for 70 water-access cottages, as well as boat storage service, etc.

But as Steve was explaining how the different parts of the business fit together, his eyes began to drift and he shifted in his chair. “Excuse me,” he finally said as he looked over to a young man standing at the door “I think I have to go. Someone is looking at a pontoon boat. I'll be back soon.”

Meanwhile, the phone rang and Pauline, who was sitting in front of a computer screen, snatched it up.

“I just got the message on email,” she said to the person on the other end of the line, “I'll get you that information in the next few minutes. Sorry for missing it. We've been busy.”

“The accountant,” she explained.

Just then, another employee came in the office.

“They want gas,” he said

“Give them just 20 litres, no more” Pauline said to the employee. “That'll get them to the upper lake.”

“Problems with gas?” I asked.

“There's been no fuel delivery since June 30,” Pauline explained. “Everybody wanted delivery before the HST came in, and the truckers had worked so many hours by then that they stopped delivering over the weekend. We have only a bit left. Great timing, isn't it?””

By now Steve was back.

His potential customer, who had come up to Smart's from Beaver Lake, near Tamworth, was still pondering whether to buy the $20,000 pontoon boat, but Steve wasn't pushing.

Boat sales are an important source of revenue for the marina, but they are tied in with service. That's how a small business can compete with the box-store type of selling that has had an impact on small marinas in recent years.

Steve explained some of the advantages he can offer.

“The trailer for that pontoon boat costs $4,000. If he buys the boat here we can deliver it to him, and in the fall we can come and get it and store it here. So he can save $4,000. And if he has any problem with it on a Saturday, we can help him out. Now if he buys a boat at Canadian Tire, what good would that do him on a Saturday?”

Smart's has a long-standing relationship with PrinceCraft boats and Mercury motors, which provides them with a range of boats and motors, and they have customers on all of the lakes in the region. Steve travels each year to the major cottage show in Toronto to keep in touch with customers and with the industry. “We've had a presence at that show, one way or another, since my father starting going to it in 1974,” Steve said.

It takes all the accumulated knowledge of over 30 years for a business that is located on a tiny spit of land between Highway 41 and Mazinaw Lake to be able to thrive in an economic climate that has changed so dramatically in recent years.

One example of that is boat technology. “Motors change as quickly as laptop computers, but one difference is that the motors are designed to they can be upgraded as new energy-efficient technology becomes available. With the four stroke engines that are available now, people can buy bigger boats that have less impact on the lake”, Steve said.

Both Steve and Pauline pointed out that the source of their business is one thing that has not changed - Mazinaw Lake itself.

“The health of the lake is the bedrock of this entire community. Because of the health of the lake Bon Echo draws 250,000 people each summer. The cottagers keep coming back. People come fishing. What would Cloyne be without Mazinaw Lake?” Steve said.

“We have a role to play in environmental education,” Pauline said. “Take that boater before to whom we sold 20 litres of gas. He wanted to fill a jerry can and carry it to his boat. We don't do that, because you can't pour gas into a tank with a jerry can without spilling some into the lake. We make them bring the boat around to the pumps. People need to know this kind of thing.”

Marinas are also at the forefront of the safe boating education and licensing system.

Smart's Marina compacts a lot of enterprise into a small location, and while there have been opportunities to pick up new property and divide up different parts of the business in recent years, they have resisted. Two years ago they put up a new building on the property instead.

It allows them to run the marina as it has always been run, as a family business.

Five years ago, Steve and Pauline summed up what their business is all about when they were promoting an event on National Marina Day in 2005. They wrote: “Local marinas do much more than just provide boating infrastructure. They provide a variety of services, such as friendly, helpful advice, education, assistance and instruction through their trained staff on a variety of issues including boating safety, boating regulations and environmentally safe products and practices. In short, marinas provide an unmatched combination of infrastructure, products, and services that help those seeking recreation on the water to maximize their precious leisure time safely and efficiently.”