Careers close to home: Buying local keeps Chemainus working
Published 7:00 am Friday, November 21, 2025
When residents shop close to home, the impact reaches far beyond a single sale. In towns like Chemainus, where small businesses form the backbone of the local economy, every purchase helps sustain jobs, training and the town’s identity.
“Investing in local business is really an investment in the heart of Chemainus,” said Krystal Adams, executive director of the Chemainus Business Improvement Association. “When our businesses thrive, the benefits ripple outward, more jobs, more stable year-round employment and a vibrant town that residents are proud to call home.”
Adams noted that money spent locally circulates through the community, supporting wages, training and local employment. That cycle, she said, keeps small towns strong and ensures jobs stay close to home.
At By the Bay Lavender, co-owner Kristie Anne Aurel said their small team shifts with the seasons. “For the winter months it is one person. During Lavender Harvest in the summer we have a team of three,” she said.
“The solution to finding staff is having several people with better skills than you,” Aurel said with a laugh. “We are lucky to have found great staff we can call on for production, sales and field work.”
They have also worked with employment programs such as the province’s WorkBC initiative.
“We had James help with installing the lavender plants on the land for eight months. Work BC has many services and staff looking for jobs,” Aurel said. A WorkBC placement was integral in the early days of the business, helping establish the lavender heart that has become the farm’s signature.
“It is extremely important that we support local,” Aurel said. “During the summer months we are a tourist destination, but without our locals business would be impossible. The locals maintain the sales in the slower months and Vancouver Island people are incredible supporters.”
Adams said the revenue local businesses earn during the holiday season helps them stay afloat through the slower first quarter. Initiatives such as the annual Sip & Shop help drive local shopping, often marking the busiest sales day of the year.
“We have so many great examples in Chemainus of what community support can do for a business and for local employment,” Adams said, pointing to The Owl’s Nest, Bound to Be, Beyond the Usual, Clover Clothing and Urban Legends Salon and Spa, which have grown and created jobs through loyal local support.
As Adams put it, “Talented, very knowledgeable people come to Chemainus to realize a dream, to work in a community like ours, and to be part of something truly different. We attract imaginators, inventors, artists and artisans who choose to call this place home because they see possibility here, opportunity.”
Those opportunities, she said, depend on residents shopping close to home, keeping businesses thriving and local jobs strong.
