Zoe’s Store
For Zoe Budinski, the owner of Zoe’s Store on 14th St. S.W., it all started with a special feeling.
“I don’t know how to explain it,” recalls Budinski, “but this store is going to be mine somehow, Maybe I manifested it?”
Budinski moved to Calgary from Croatia after the war that was formerly Yugoslavia. When she arrived, she worked as a food and beverage purchaser for Hyatt for eight years while working at a second hand store for one day a week.
“Every Saturday, I worked here for eight years. I knew it, maybe I will be a seller,” says Budinski. She ponders what exactly it was that made her so attracted to the shop: “I had a beautiful boss who taught me a lot about collectibles and everything.”
This special feeling wasn’t unfamiliar either.
“I always knew since I was little, really little, that I will be my own boss by 35, always. I was 36 when I opened the store,” says Budinski.
Her favorite moments from the store, like most store owners, are the people.
”The people tell a story, somebody brings something and those items tell a story,” says Budinski. In fact, her customers she credits to helping her keep the business running through Covid.
“Covid was hard, we were closed for three or four months. I still had to pay the rent and the bills. But after I opened again, I actually felt that local support, I really felt it,” says Budinski.
Grateful for their support, she describes how large groups of people would show up.
“I said thanks to all of the community in Calgary. I survived.”
Budinski believes thrifters are particularly unique.
“Not everybody shops at thrift stores, these are people I call ‘old souls.'”
She also thinks there is something more than just what appears on the surface.
“My closest friends, they never shop at thrift stores because they don’t understand. But for us, it is a hunt,” says Budinski, and looking for something special. “It’s the uniqueness of the stuff and things. You find something that nobody else has, that’s the hunt.”
Recently, she has changed her store to include Home Decor Consignment section, which is focused on more specific household, decorative items.
Sixteen years of owning the shop has provided Zoe some knowledge.
“I learned so much about collectibles, antique mid-century brand names, quality crystals,” says Budinski, who’s driven by the work she finds so interesting.
“If you love what you do, that keeps you going.”
A Rare Book Store By DJ
David Beaulieu has been in Alberta for about 30 years, and 14 in Calgary.
“I moved from Quebec to Fort McMurray, I was helping kids within the French School”, says Beaulieu.
He now runs and owns the A Rare Book Store by DJ, in the community of Kensington. When he opened the store about a year ago, he wanted something new.
“I was in a trade for about 14 years. I just needed a break and it was a good opportunity.”
Admitting that owning his own store was something always on his mind, he says, “Maybe five years ago I started to think about a shop like this, but before that, I thought maybe a little cafe or something.”
Beaulieu says, “I like reading and music, that was the main reason [for opening the store].” Adding, he loves the music of Celine Dion, and his favourite books include Rita Hayworth and The Shawshank Redemption by Stephen King and World Order by Henry Kissinger.
One of his favourite things about being a store owner includes the wide variety of people he meets and having interesting conversations with his customers including actor Douglas Vermeeren, whose autographed photo hangs on the bookstore wall.
Although he loves his business, Beaulieu is one of many local stores experiencing difficulty making a go at it.
“It’s hard when you don’t have too many customers in a day.”
He’s also under pressure because of a recent increase in rent and says when his lease is up, it’s unlikely he’ll be able to afford the to keep the shop open.
“I ask for a two year contract at the same price, but I never signed anything. Two months later they found someone else to pay more than that,” says Beaulieu.
But for now his spirits are high, he’s doing the best he can and looking around for another place that’s similar place as to what he has now.
“It doesn’t really matter, as long as there’s foot traffic.”
17th Ave. Thrift
For Sue Ghebari thrifting is, and always has been. essential.
“I’ve always thrifted early on out of necessity. Some people still have to, their only way they can afford to dress nicely,” says Ghebari. “Later on,” she adds, she came to “really enjoy it and believe in it.”
Ghebari opened 17th Ave. Thrift in July 2018. Before that, she and her husband owned independent supermarkets.
“I got away from that, left my husband to continue it and then I was an empty nester. I was bored so I volunteered at the WINS (Women In Need Society) second hand store.”
At first, the idea of owning her own store was more comedic than serious.
“We were joking and one of the people I had volunteered with said, ‘You should open your own secondhand store.’ And maybe four months later, we found the space,” says Ghebari.
Ghebari also says finding the space felt like it was meant to happen.
“I searched and searched for a space to rent, I took a wrong turn one day and ended up at the lights across the street, I saw this window and it looked empty. It was really neat how it all happened, everything just fell into place.”
Her favourite moments are split between two things. On one hand, she loves animals.
“The best part of our job, obviously, is we get a lot of dogs that people bring in,” says Ghebari.
In fact, Ghebari’s support for animals is a strong foundation of the store itself.
“We’re probably the only [thrift store] in the city, that I know of, that specifically supports animal rescues and animal welfare,” says Ghebari.
On the other hand, it’s hard for Ghebari to not mention the people in her life because of the store.
“I’ve also met so many kind humans. I’ve made friends with people that have been coming here since we opened.”
Making people feel welcomed is important for Ghebar who says, “It stems from the racism I’ve felt and still feel. Those little microaggressions, right?”.
A couple of weeks ago, Ghebari’s natural instinct for a welcoming warmth expressed itself.
“We had two people, from the LGBTQ+ community, who walked in and they looked good. I said ‘Oh, you look so great, thanks for coming in today, then one of them came up to me and said ‘You know, I wasn’t going to leave the house today, I was feeling anxious, but thank you for saying that.'”
Her effort and dedication to the community is evident, and she hopes others realize it takes more than just putting items on a shelf and expecting it to sell.
“I have worked really hard to make connections with people, whether it’s through our site online, Instagram or social media. Man, it’s a whole learning curve. I make a point to connect with people, whether it’s on social media or when they come in, I think that truly helps.”
Ghebari’s philosophy towards business and knowledge suits her idea of owning an inclusive, accessible thrift store.
“Back in Lebanon, old people were revered for that knowledge… I just learned that knowledge should be shared, so I do it freely.”