Karrie Peace wants to help people become legendary gift givers.
To do this in the Salmon Arm, she is opening her store, Poor David’s.
With locations in Cochrane and Calgary, this will be Peace’s first B.C. Poor David’s, situated in the downtown at 190 Hudson St. – the former Victoria Impressions building. Or, going back further, the Bank of Hamilton building, built in 1910.
With a passion for historic downtowns, the building was a perfect fit for Peace.
“In any community in North America you can find strip malls that all look the same, but the historic downtowns are so important because they are places where we do maintain our uniqueness, our individuality – they’re a part of our soul in my opinion,” said Peace.
Peace is also passionate about supporting Canadian brands, including Canmore’s Rocky Mountain Soap Company whose products feature prominently along one wall of the Salmon Arm location.
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As of Wednesday, June 23, Peace and her team, including Salmon Arm store manager Monica Rhodes, were busy unloading boxes and completing finishing touches on the interior in preparation for Friday, when they planned to open the doors to the public. A grand opening is slated for July 9. Much of the floor space was already packed, however, with a wide range of products, from cards and soaps to toys and games, clothes, shoes, jewelry, home decor and more
“There are all kinds of little things that bring beauty and fun into life,” said Peace, adding there’s also a naughty side too, “So be aware of that.”
While not yet open, Peace said someone did stop in to share their thoughts on the store’s name which, she proudly explained, is a reference to her husband, David, who continues to support her on her journey as an independent business owner.
“Usually a boutique is owned and operated by someone who doesn’t know that much about business, they don’t know they’re getting themselves into a completely different lifestyle,” said Peace. “And you can’t do it unless someone in the house has a job that’s secure. We ended up selling a house to make it all work and David was good with that.”
Peace also noted her husband was born in England, where “Poor” is often used in the name of a business.
To help others honour the David in their lives, there is a special T-shirt available.
“It says ‘I’m poor David,’” explained Peace. “They just have to prove they’re a David, and they get a free T-shirt.”
For more information, visit the poordavidsshop.com, and the Salmon Arm Poor David’s Facebook page.
lachlan@saobserver.net
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