BCBusiness

DARREN ROBINSON/SUNSHINE COAST TOURISM; COURTESY OF JP BROSSEAU apartment block, he bought the historic post oce building. When two local women, Michelle Zutz and Karen Skadsheim, fed up with drinking Labatt and Lucky Lager (craft beer was nowhere to be found), asked him if he'd consider opening a brewery there, Brooks didn't just say yes, he asked if they needed help with a business plan (they did) and seed money (yes again). "Steve is the perfect angel investor," Zutz says. "We didn't know anything about making beer, but that didn't put him o‚." They hired Belgian brewmaster Cédric Dauchot, widely considered one of B.C.'s best beer makers, and poured their ‡rst growler in 2012. As the popularity of craft beer exploded, Townsite Brewing has been not only successful as a business but a driver of tourism to Townsite. Brooks is hoping his most recent pur- chase will prove the venture to solidify Townsite's renewal: a site dating from 1941 that originally served as a shopping hub for the once-bustling community. The renovated and rebranded Townsite Market ocially opened last December, though some parts were still under construc- tion, including K"Lumet, an employment and training social enterprise that began in Europe and will employ workers with intellectual disabilities to make ‡re start- ers from recycled material. Another section still to be ‡nished is the Innovation Hub, something that Brooks, economic development head Randolph and Sunshine Coast Tourism's Kamon are excited about. A year ago, they identi‡ed new residents who were working remotely for the tech sector in areas as diverse as the ‡lm industry, non-pro‡ts and global e-commerce. With funding from the Island Coast Eco- nomic Trust, they set up the Powell River Creative Economy and Innovation Initia- tive, holding meet-and-greets and brain- storming sessions at Brooks's home, looking for ways to make connections and spark ideas. Once complete, the 1,000-square- foot hub will provide hot desks and other networking and collaborative opportuni- ties, with the mission to expand the city's creative economy. Walking through the market, Brooks introduces me to the retailers—o‚ering everything from fruit and vegetables to essential oils and herbal teas, artworks to furniture and fashion—many of them new business owners, and most of them women. He's kept the rent and overheads low in an e‚ort to help these small busi- nesses establish themselves. If Townsite Market is a passion project for Brooks, he's surrounded by equally committed entrepreneurs, like Paula Ansell, an Australian whose Just Soul Food booth is bedecked with the prettiest (and tastiest) raw, vegan, sugar-free treats you've ever seen (and is already selling 1,000 pieces per week); and Kajal Kromm, a former White Spot server, who moved from Vancouver with her family in 2015 to give her kids a childhood full of fresh air. She opened an esthetician business in the market because she wants to "give back, and help make people feel good about themselves." Back in Vancouver, I hear that the vent- ing is ‡nally in at Hearth & Grain, and Col- leen McClean is in the ‡nal push to open her doors. She says the move was down to more than knowing she would likely never own a home in Vancouver; she also had no hope of starting her own business. Kamon got her to visit Powell River, but it was Brooks, she says, who convinced her to take the leap, even o‚ering a low-cost rental in his apart- ment block to ease the transition. "I don't think that I would have moved here if Steve hadn't been such a great guy and been so supportive of me and the entire project," McClean says. "He's the real deal." ANOTHER SECTION OF TOWNSITE STILL TO BE FINISHED IS THE INNOVATION HUB. ONCE COMPLETE, THE 1,000- SQUARE-FOOT HUB WILL PROVIDE HOT DESKS AND OTHER NETWORKING AND COLLABORATIVE OPPORTU- NITIES, WITH THE MISSION TO EXPAND THE CITY'S CREATIVE ECONOMY JP Brosseau was born and raised in Powell River, and he couldn't get away from the place fast enough; growing up gay there was a miserable experience. He landed in Cold Lake, Alberta, where he met and lived with his now-husband, Kelly Belanger. The pair dreamed of opening a hotel and restaurant on a beach in Mexico, but on his way to spend a few months in the sun looking for a good spot, Brosseau brought Belanger to Powell River to meet his mother, Edie Rae. Belanger fell hard for the place and, noticing that the Old Courthouse Inn in Townsite was up for sale, somehow persuaded Brosseau to return to build a busi- ness in his childhood home. Twenty years later, Brosseau has made himself central to the community: in Edie Rae's Café, he's created a bustling breakfast meeting place; he supports and mentors LGBTQ youth; and he's developed strong bonds with local First Nations. He plans to build small individual housing units for the elderly on an unused parking lot behind the inn. "Older queer people and Indigenous folks don't necessarily feel comfortable in a general care facility," Brosseau explains. "I want to offer them an inclusive alternative." –F.M. Stay With Us PROVING THAT YOU CAN GO HOME AGAIN, THIS POWELL RIVER NATIVE HAS TRANSFORMED A LOCAL HOTEL INTO A COMMUNITY GATHERING SPOT JULY/AUGUST 2019 BCBUSINESS 49 JP Brosseau (right) and husband Kelly Belanger The Old Courthouse Inn

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