“I’ve always dreamed of having a loft apartment above a store,” says Wendy. “Friends of mine bought a similar property in Hensall a while back and when I saw what they were able to do with that space, I couldn’t help but be inspired. It was absolutely gorgeous—from the architec- tural details to the vintage décor. I thought, ‘I’d love to try that.’ From there, it was just a matter of finding the right property.” “We really needed to find a place that was close to the store, and would let us remain focused on our work at Sobeys,” says John. “At the same time, we wanted to be sure we were making a sound investment. When we looked at Tillsonburg, we saw a lot of un- tapped potential, particularly in the downtown.” Wendy, especially, soon found herself dreaming about what could be done to create a more vibrant central business district – a place where more people would want to live, work, shop and play. It’s why she joined the Business Improvement Association (BIA) Board of Management a few years back, and it’s what contin- ues to drive her to buy locally as often as possible. “When it comes to the retail business, I know one sale can make or break someone,” says Wendy. “For the apartment, we bought our construction supplies in town, our lighting fixtures, our paint…if we could get an item here, that’s what we did. We felt that was very important.” “We hired a great local contrac- tor and our kids spent a lot of eve- nings and weekends helping out
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