- Words by Angela Cowan Photography by Lia Crowe
When Rebecca Burrows purchased Victoria乌鸦传媒檚 long-time favourite store, , in 2018, it realized a dream she乌鸦传媒檇 carried since she was five years old.
乌鸦传媒淚 just had this obsession with fashion and jewellery,乌鸦传媒� she says, remembering a day in kindergarten where all the kids were asked to draw what they wanted to be when they grew up. 乌鸦传媒淭here are people drawing doctors and firemen and everything, and I just drew a big ring,乌鸦传媒� she laughs. 乌鸦传媒淚 had this obsession with Audrey Hepburn and Breakfast at Tiffany乌鸦传媒檚, and I wanted to work at Tiffany乌鸦传媒檚.乌鸦传媒�
While she didn乌鸦传媒檛 make it to New York in her teens, Rebecca did work for a jewellery designer in Winnipeg who sold many pieces to Hughes Clothing. And when Rebecca and her parents moved out to the island, she popped into the shop with her resume. Then-owner Donna Anderson hired her almost immediately, and Rebecca worked there for more than a decade before stepping back to raise her family. But she didn乌鸦传媒檛 stay out of the game for long.
乌鸦传媒淏usiness has always been a part of my life,乌鸦传媒� she says, adding that she乌鸦传媒檇 always wanted to step into the owner/entrepreneurial role. 乌鸦传媒淏ut Donna was just not ready to retire at that time.乌鸦传媒�
Rebecca ended up buying both the Bleue Coyote Pub in Brentwood and the Rod and Gun Bar and Grill in Parksville (although she has since sold them), while staying closely connected with Hughes. And when the opportunity came to take the reins from Donna, Rebecca knew it was absolutely meant to be. Just two years later in 2020, she helmed the shop乌鸦传媒檚 move from downtown Victoria to Athlone Court in Oak Bay with enormous success. And now, business is steady, foot traffic is abundant and her customers are thrilled, echoing the joy Rebecca has found in her own life.
乌鸦传媒淚乌鸦传媒檝e been in times of my life乌鸦传媒攜ears乌鸦传媒攚here it just felt like I was a salmon swimming upstream, and not doing what was making me happy, and not realizing it,乌鸦传媒� she says.
Now, surrounded by family and friends, a career that she loves, heartfelt relationships with her clients and a new Uptown location that just opened at the end of March, Rebecca is immensely grateful every day for where life has brought her.
乌鸦传媒淚t乌鸦传媒檚 completely come to fruition for me. I乌鸦传媒檓 doing exactly what I乌鸦传媒檓 meant to do,乌鸦传媒� she says. 乌鸦传媒淚 am so comfortable in my own skin, and I乌鸦传媒檓 just loving my life. With business I always think about my dad. He乌鸦传媒檚 been my driving force. He tells me all the time, 乌鸦传媒榊ou can do anything you want to do.乌鸦传媒櫸谘淮綕
Thinking back to those kindergarten goals, Rebecca laughs.
乌鸦传媒淚 definitely think the little Rebecca is beaming on the inside,乌鸦传媒� she says. 乌鸦传媒淪he乌鸦传媒檚 happy.乌鸦传媒�
The 7 Sins
Envy:
Whose shoes would you like to walk in?
Audrey Hepburn. I dreamed of being her when I was a child. In her role in Breakfast at Tiffany乌鸦传媒檚, she exuded style and grace like no other. I remember walking around my house all dressed in black pretending I was in New York City.
Gluttony:
What is the food you could eat over and over again?
Pasta. I love pasta. I swear I should be Italian. Nothing fancy though. Spaghetti with olive oil, garlic and all the parmigiano.
Greed:
You乌鸦传媒檙e given $1 million that you have to spend selfishly. What would you spend it on?
Selfishly, I would move my parents closer. Mind you, they only live in Sidney and we乌鸦传媒檙e in Oak Bay, but now with four stores and always expanding, I would love to have them next door to me. I乌鸦传媒檓 such a daddy乌鸦传媒檚 girl. I truly have everything I could ever want乌鸦传媒攑urses, clothes, cars, jewellery乌鸦传媒攂ut having daddy next door, that would take the cake.
Wrath:
Pet peeves?
People who say they 乌鸦传媒渃an乌鸦传媒檛.乌鸦传媒� There乌鸦传媒檚 no such thing as 乌鸦传媒淚 can乌鸦传媒檛.乌鸦传媒� 乌鸦传媒淣o乌鸦传媒� is not in my vocabulary. If someone says that I cannot do something, it just makes me want it even more. Setting my sights on building more stores and pushing through is how I keep going. Everything in my life gets taken to the next step. I乌鸦传媒檓 constantly growing and levelling up my goals.
Sloth:
Where would you spend a long time doing nothing?
Easy, Maui. Though my idea of doing nothing is a 12-kilometre morning beach walk followed by a round of golf at the Plantation Golf Course in Kapalua with my husband.
Pride:
What is the one thing you乌鸦传媒檙e secretly proud of?
Oh man乌鸦传媒ecretly? Hmm. My heart. I love to give. That乌鸦传媒檚 never changed, even when I乌鸦传媒檝e been burned. Yep, my heart. Oh jeez, now I乌鸦传媒檓 crying.
Lust:
What makes your heart beat faster?
My dogs. My kids. My husband. My parents. My life. My community. My businesses. Everyone and everything around me. I am so, so, so grateful for this life of mine.
Story courtesy of , a Black Press Media publication
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