The pros and cons of running your business in a small town

In 2007, Christina Platt moved from Vancouver's South Main district to the Cowichan Valley seeking rustic charm—deer in the fields, hawks wheeling in the sky. "I wanted chickens in the yard," she says. "I was always taking pictures of the deer." The owner of Bamboletta Dolls still loves the Cowichan Valley...

Christina Platt | BCBusiness
Christina Platt, owner of Bamboletta Dolls

While Vancouver might be easier, Christina Platt’s semi-rural locale has ultimately defined her business

In 2007, Christina Platt moved from Vancouver’s South Main district to the Cowichan Valley seeking rustic charm—deer in the fields, hawks wheeling in the sky. “I wanted chickens in the yard,” she says. “I was always taking pictures of the deer.”

The owner of Bamboletta Dolls still loves the Cowichan Valley, but it’s a little less romantic now. “The hawks grab my chickens,” she says, “and I’m always chasing those damn deer out of the garden.

Platt has also discovered the main problem with being located in a semi-rural area of Vancouver Island: skilled-labour shortages.

Bamboletta employs 34 people to create hand-sewn dolls. Eight of her employees have the skill level required to make the clothing. “I could use 10 or 12 skilled sewers with sergers [specialized sewing machines used to finish clothing],” she says. “I can’t get the numbers I need.”

Bamboletta produces about 80 handcrafted natural-fibre dolls, ranging in price from $130 to $250, every week—and sells out fast. But Platt would like to branch out into complementary sets of children’s clothing. “If Id stayed in Vancouver I’d have access to so much more—fabrics, factory operations, the right people. It would be a lot easier.”

Platt is also casting a wary eye at Canada Post. With 90 per cent of her business outside Canada, she relies on them for pickup and delivery. “We’re not sure if that is going to change,” she says. “Using couriers makes brokerage and customs issues more complicated.”

Pamela Baxter lives on the North Shore, where she runs Cascadia Gluten-Free, making granola and cookies. Her location issues do not involve employees—she’s the entire company—but finding proper facilities. Unlike Solanki’s Marvin’s Marvelous line, Baxter uses nuts. And unlike Solanki, her operation is too small to permit a commercial kitchen—she must use a shared facility. “I need a production kitchen that allows nuts, but not gluten,” she says; it’s essential she can assure customers that no cross-contamination is possible. When she runs out of product she must wait her turn at the kitchen. “I’m out of cookies at the moment,” Baxter says. “I have to wait for my slot.”

As for Platt, she still feels the pluses outweigh the minuses in the Cowichan Valley. “If I had stayed in Vancouver it would be a little easier,” she says, “but I’d have a completely different kind of company. I wanted to hire stay-at-home moms and that’s what I’ve been able to do. I’ve been able to forge my own path—my locale has made the business what it is.’