SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Five of the city's budding entrepreneurs will duke it out tonight in a Dragons' Den-style finale of the Win Your Space YK contest.
David Stephens poses with his dog Athena, who he adopted from the SPCA the same month he began focusing on his fat-bike tour
business full time. - photo courtesy of David Stephens
Kelsey MacDougall, one of the five finalists in the Win Your Space YK contest, shows off a product she designed and sourced for a spa
project in downtown Yellowknife. - Emelie Peacock/NNSL photo
Sarah Kalnay-Watson works with a bridal bouquet she is creating for an upcoming wedding. Kalnay-Watson said she has been working with new types of flowers for her
arrangements, something she hopes to bring downtown with a flower and wedding shop. - Emelie Peacock/NNSL photo
Aluna, left, and mom Kim MacNearney display some of the tarot card decks Kim uses for her home-based card-reading business. - Emelie Peacock/NNSL photo |
Each entrepreneur will get the chance to present their idea in front of a jury made up of six Yellowknife business people at city hall.
The contest gives five finalists a chance to win a free year of lease space downtown.
The contest is part of the city's effort to revitalize the downtown core after findings its vacancy rate was 7.8 per cent compared to the rest of Yellowknife's 2.3 per cent.
Here are profiles of each contestant hoping to take the top prize.
Let Me Knot
Sarah Kalnay-Watson, a self-professed hopeless romantic, said through the contest she's been able to work on the financial details and a long-term plan for her wedding and flower business Let Me Knot.
She envisions starting small, with a flower and wedding planning shop, and hopes to eventually grow into a destination wedding company.
N60 Interiors
Interior designer Kelsey MacDougall also has a long-term vision for her business N60 Interiors, which she has been running out of her home for the past two years.
If she is successful in tonight's finale, she envisions opening a concept store.
"It's something that over the past couple of years I've seen in other cities and been inspired by," she said of her idea for a storefront downtown to cater to the city's residential clients.
MacDougall said she wants to offer a rotating selection of curated items to give her customers an experience that can't be recreated online. She also wants to offer her interior design services through the space.
Borealis Bike Tours
David Stephens, owner of Borealis Bike Tours Unlimited, said opening a storefront would boost his business and have a ripple effect for retailers and restaurateurs downtown.
"After a tour people are generally hungry so they'll want to get something to eat, or before the tour they're getting some last minute personal items they want to stay warm," he said.
Stephens runs his business out of his home and used to meet his guests at the Northern Frontier Visitors Centre for orientation before it closed in May. Now that the centre is closed, he will need to find a warm, comfortable space to get his guests suited up for a fat-bike ride.
The Magic Box
Yellowknifer spoke with finalist Kim MacNearney about her tarot card reading business in June.
"When you say tarot card reading people go, 'Hmm?'" she said at the time.
"It's just something completely out of left field maybe, not the normal business oriented type of plan. But yet there's a solid foundation behind it."
She told Yellowknifer in June that she got a glimpse of the demand for tarot-card reading at the 2012 Folk On The Rocks – she read cards for 60 people in two days. This spurred her to start offering the service through her home.
If she ends up a winner tonight, MacNearney plans to expand her offerings to crystals, art and other spiritual items in her store, The Magic Box.
Ja-pain
Last but definitely not least is entrepreneur and helicopter pilot Seiji Suzuki's plan to create a Japanese-style additive free bakery called Ja-pain.
He didn't respond to a Yellowknifer's request for an interview.
Suzuki is already running Sushi North downtown and said in a video on the city's website that if he wins he will bring another Japanese food offering downtown.
The jury
The five finalists were announced July 25 and a winner will be chosen by jury tonight at city hall.
The jury is made up of Yellowknife business people Hassan Adam, dentist and owner of Adam Dental Clinic; Renée Comeau, president of the Yellowknife Chamber of Commerce; Yanik D'Aigle, RBC branch manager, Sarah Erasmus of Erasmus Apparel; Gillian Lee, partner with Crowe MacKay LLP and Mellisa Mercredi, sourcing specialist at Diavik Diamond Mines.
The total cost of the contest is estimated to be $76,000, according to City of Yellowknife communications officer Stephanie Vandeputte. The city is contributing $22,500, with the rest funded by a group of corporate sponsors and a $20,000 grant from the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment.
