They say if you do what you love, you'll never have to work a day in your life. But it also takes grit, risk and the kind of staying power that can make it last into something meaningful. The following three creative business owners in Oak Bay are the rare, lucky ones who truly embody their passion in their work and have been able to sustain that spark. From the alchemy of scent to the art of celebration to the language of design, these owners show how devotion to one’s calling can be not just a career, but a way of being.
Exploring the magic of scent
Stacey Moore owns Atelier Flore Perfume and Pigment at 1848 Oak Bay Ave.
Walking into Atelier Flore is an inviting, sensory experience. An in-house perfumery at the back pulls you into an old-world workshop of alchemy. Then there are the details, scattered among the perfumes, the high-end paint products and locally crafted goods: textiles, the touch of pearls, gold. "They all have their own feeling," Moore says.
From a young age, Moore knew she was highly sensitive. "Part of being sensitive is that you pick up on things that others might not see, smell or feel. When it came to my sense of smell, though, I always knew how magical it was."
Part of that was escaping to a fantasy world when she felt overwhelmed. Through scent, she would close her eyes and let her imagination carry her.
Perfume didn’t come until she was 30, as a single mom in the mountains of Pinantan Lake, B.C., embracing life close to the land. Having a daughter connected her back to her own childhood. "I was picking wild roses, and making salves and natural products for her," she said.
A specific scent shared by a natural perfumer started what she called an obsession. "I could not stop smelling it," she said. It was labdanum, an aromatic resin obtained from the rockrose shrub, extracted in traditional – almost mythical – ways: combed from the hair of goats.
"That's what changed everything. I was obsessed. I started training and reading tons of books and making concoctions. It just felt like it was my way of storytelling."
When Moore, now 50, approaches perfume creation, she thinks of scent as a language. Each unique bottle she creates uses natural ingredients and tells a different story, whether that's inspired an ingredient she's attracted to, the seasons or something else that moves her.
It's this intuitive process and not using chemicals that attracts international clients, and differentiates her from a corporate perfumer. "[Natural perfume] is very intimate. It lasts between two to three hours; the people who smell you are in your bubble."
Customers are also drawn to her unique offerings, such as individualized perfumes created through intuitive workshops. "I get to know their life, who they are, and I will start to choose different notes as I talk to them," Moore said. People might tell her about where they're from, share memories of loved ones, or open up about recent losses. "We go on this scent journey; a lot of people will cry or they'll have memories that come up. It's more about the process than the end result," she said.
"It's our limbic system, so it's the most ancient and most primal part of us. Our sense of smell is the most magical because it goes beyond our consciousness."
Her new shop, which opened July 5 after moving from downstairs (an Oak Bay staple for almost a decade), is designed as a soft, sensory house that will also hold art workshops; it's designed to be especially welcoming to neurodivergent visitors like herself. "I want it to be a safe, soft place ... a place to escape the world and disconnect."
A family of entertainers
Cheryl Schultz has owned Cheryl's Gourmet Pantry (2009 Cadboro Bay Rd.) for close to four decades
"That lady right over there, that's my mom," Cheryl Schultz says in her little cafe and headquarters, pointing to a smiling woman rolling out some dough. "She's a great entertainer and a great cook; she does beautiful designs and table settings. So, I kind of grew up with that. My grandmother and my aunt all set beautiful tables and beautiful food."
Schultz has only worked two jobs ever in her life; restaurant management before starting her own catering business at 23 – almost 40 years ago.
"At a very young age, I picked, well, kind of mum picked catering for me. It was everything I love. I love the food. I love the decor. I love doing flowers. It has a bit of everything. I would have also maybe gone into interior design, and this also has a bit of that to it."
The longer one talks with Cheryl, the more they become aware of the scope of what she does. Not only does she create the recipes and menus – which might include beef wellington with foie gras, or her famous buttermilk fried chicken. Her company can also design the entirety of a party; renting the tents, finding the location, choosing the perfect linen – "everything," she says.
Often at her side is her mom, who got involved with the business after Cheryl's dad died five years ago from Parkinson's. "She comes down here almost every day. She loves it, and she's a great worker."
It's that deep family tie and the extravagance of bringing beautiful, diverse events to life – a "lost art", she describes it – that keep her locked in after nearly 40 years.
"I have not lost my passion," she said, smiling. "I just signed up for another five-year lease."
Passionate about people and colour
Ben Brannen is owner and principal designer at Bespoke Design, 1820 Oak Bay Ave.
Ben Brannen doesn't just love design; he loves people and the way their personalities translate to paint, pillows and patterns.
His love for design started young. As a business school student, he worked part time in a paint store, building a passion for colour. After interior design classes and a foray into that world, an opportunity came to partner at Bespoke. The rest was history.
Upon walking into the dynamic, beautifully curated store, Brannen might be found animatedly discussing the latest project with his coworkers, samples of fabrics and paint strewn across a table.
When it comes to helping clients, their philosophy is people first. "We don't believe that we have to be the director of your journey for interior design," Brannen said. "We can be your assistant, we can be your cheerleader, or we can do the whole thing."
What matters most is that the team understands their client and their personality, he said. "You almost develop a friendship," he said. He's come to understand what colours and textures will light someone up and the symbolism behind things people don't want anymore. "It could be a divorce, it could be some sort of trauma. Eventually, they open up and you get it."
Then there's the interesting challenge of improving someone's space who might already have everything they need. "You're curating the best of what they have," he said. "And that is very rewarding."
Through close interactions, the depth of those bonds Brannen builds sometimes surprises even him. "When you don't have the need to meet with that client as much, there is sort of a mourning," he said. "It's a professional relationship, but there's enough of an interest in, a bond in their day-to-day life that you miss it when the job's over."
With over 35 years of experience working with clients and a team that he loves, Brannen continues to bring joy, thoughtfulness and excitement into each new project.
"I think it just goes to show that if you do find something you love to do and you put your mind to it, it is the best way to spend your professional life," he said.
This article is from the fall edition of Tweed.
