The new Benjamin Moore store in Ladysmith is preparing to celebrate its first year of business in the community.
Jonathan Zeiler took the leap and opened up his own small business last November after six years as a paint contractor doing interior, exterior, retail and consumer paint jobs.
“I just wanted to transition into something that was more retail (and) consumer (oriented),” he said.
“I’d been looking at opening a store for four or five years and was waiting for the right time.”
Local general contractor Brian Childs worked with Zeiler on several projects and was a huge supporter of the opening.
Benjamin Moore is located at 123 Roberts Street and boasts a bright open concept interior to display samples.
Zeiler currently has two employees who have been integral in helping to keep up with the new clients driving from south Nanaimo to Duncan and everywhere in between.
The 32-year-old is originally from Saskatchewan and comes from an interior design background.
He moved to the Vancouver Island six years ago and began using Benjamin Moore products exclusively in his line of work.
“The support from the local community has been really great, really impressive,” he said, adding he likes the small town feel of Ladysmith.
“We see a lot of return clients who come in even though they’ve done their painting project. They give us updates, or they bring their friends in, and that’s the idea for me being so community-based.”