The finalists for the 2023 Small Business BC Awards were named Wednesday, March 29, and two Comox Valley businesses made the list.
Copper Pony Poles and West Coast Karma, both Courtenay-based businesses, are among the finalists named for the annual awards.
Copper Pony Poles is one of the five finalists named for the E-commerce Experience Award, which recognizes “a small business who presents an enjoyable experience for their customers online.”
Copper Pony Poles sells equestrian equipment for dressage, jumping, and pole work, and no, they aren’t made of copper. They are wooden.
“My daughter actually named the company; it’s named after her pony, Copper,” said owner, Danielle Farrant.
Being a finalist for the E-commerce Experience Award is a considerable accomplishment, particularly considering the business is officially only a year old. She launched the website in January of 2022.
She has clients across the country, but said the local equestrian community is what got her started.
“I’ve sold all the way to Prince Edward Island, but I’m very, very grateful for the equestrian community here on Vancouver Island. I would never have made it as far as I have if they weren’t my base and supporting me since I began,” she said, adding that opening her own business has been somewhat daunting.
“It’s a huge challenge… you know, you’re putting yourself out there over and over but clearly, what I’m doing is having some kind of impact. ”
Farrant said being named a finalist is gratifying.
“It’s definitely an honour and I feel that just like having made it that far is, is a win already, you know.”
She said what started out as a fun side gig with her daughter in the summer of 2020 ultimately became an all-encompassing full-time operation.
“It was just a fun summer job, to start… but it started to build and build and then I saw an opportunity from home… and I’m a sucker for hard work and so I decided to take the plunge.”
Other finalists in the category include Timber + Gray (Nanaimo); Mint Cleaning in Ucluelet; Skookum Tools, in Langford; and Two Brothers Toffee out of Vancouver.
West Coast Karma is one of the five finalists for the Premier’s People’s Choice Award.
This award category is presented to a B.C.-based small business that can demonstrate the unwavering and loyal support of their community. The criteria for winning is simple: Get more votes than any other nominee.
West Coast Karma is a family-owned business that creates “unique, comfortable clothing with hand-drawn, nature-inspired designs.”
Mel Varney, who owns the business with her husband, Gabby Mason, was thrilled to receive the news.
“Oh, yeah, we were so stoked - I cried when they emailed us, I was really happy to hear that,” she said.
It’s been a long road to success for the family.
Varney grew up in Comox, but moved to Australia, where she met and married Mason. The couple had three children within a year (a son, and then twins immediately after) and returned to Vancouver Island for the added family support.
“We had all three babies in 12 months and it was just too much to be away from home,” said Varney. “So we moved back to Comox. I needed to be by my mom.”
Moving to Vancouver Island without any job prospects can be challenging at the best of times. Adding to the stress was the fact that Mason had yet to receive his work visa.
“I started to draw as kind of like an outlet from the stress of being a stay-at-home mom,” said Varney. “People started to enjoy my drawing, so I continued to create and it slowly kind of turned into a business.”
That was seven years ago. Last spring, an opportunity for a storefront on Fifth Street arose and everything has blossomed since.
“So now we have an actual store and my husband works full time for us… we have a couple of employees and, yeah, we love what we do.”
Varney said being named as a finalist for the Premier’s People’s Choice Award is a testament to the entire community.
“We have awesome support in the local community,” she said. “There are so many people that have been so supportive and have kind of like followed our journey and kind of watched our struggle in the beginning and then watched us, you know, kind of slowly get a little more popular and get into more stores. We’re in over 55 stores now across Canada.”
Other finalists for the award include Discovery Fabrics, out of Campbell River; Timber + Gray, from Nanaimo; Skwalwen Botanicals in Squamish; and Truly Lifestyle Brand, in Surrey.
A neighbouring Fifth Street business can relate to Varney’s experience. Bigfoot Donuts won the award in 2021.
The annual Small Business BC Awards is a celebration of entrepreneurship where small businesses are recognized for their exceptional achievements. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Small Business BC Awards with 613 nominations across 84 communities in BC. To select the finalists in each category, over 74,000 votes were cast and then nominees were narrowed down by a panel of business experts.
The awards gala will be held in Vancouver on June 2.
terry.farrell@comoxvalleyrecord.com
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