Local Turf War for Online Eyeballs

Traditionally web sites were for people who were trying to expand their reach as a business and transcend local boundaries. They were not very useful for local services such as mechanics, hair salons or people in the trades.

Local business owner beware! The next big battleground for consumer eyeballs will be with the “local search”. That’s right, smaller service based businesses who usually don’t embrace web sites. City based businesses recognize Squamish’s growing commuter pool has a choice of getting their needs met here or in the city.

A year ago Yellow pages.ca partnered with Google. They feed Google with local search data and together they can jerry-rig the online version of your yellow pages and Google to make your business pop to the top. (Type in “auto mechanic Squamish” on either web site and you’ll have to do some serious scrolling to get to a local shop.)

Squamish based Jeff Russell is a Business Solutions consultant for the Yellowpages. He helps you with your book listing and is a leading seller of online ads on Google and on the Yellow pages web site. He takes the guess work out of internet marketing.

“When you are advertising, there are three doors to your business. The actual door, the telephone and the internet. I tell my customers that they should open all three. With us, you can pre-pay a set amount and drive traffic to your site or we can create a presence for you. Our cost to do pay per click on Google is significantly cheaper than if you did it yourself.”

There is another option for more established businesses with a web site. Enter Gord Addison with Venture Web. Gord cut his teeth on internet marketing years ago while managing the local hostel. Now as a freelance maven of internet marketing, he helps local companies like Blurr, Echoflex Solutions and Canadian Outback Adventures expand their reach on the local and international front. Try typing in “Hotel Squamish” into Google or MSN and you’ll see Sea to Sky hotel at number one.

“The thing with web marketing is that it is accountable. Unlike print advertising, if something isn’t pulling, you can change it.”

He also warns that many companies make the fatal mistake of being close minded to how people find their business.

“How you might describe your product might not be the same as how your customers find you. Internet marketing is largely about market research. “

Addison offers Search Engine Optimization, email marketing, Pay per click campaigns and web site “use-ability audits”.


At the end of the day, getting located on the internet is becoming more and more complicated. Depending on your needs, you will want to consider the Yellowpages or a freelance type like Gord Addison to increase sales at your shop. Chances are this stuff is beyond the reach of your web savvy nephew and you’ll need a helping hand to succeed.

Republic Cycles Not a Third Wheel in Brackendale

Any Brackendale citizen knows “Republic Bikes” is aptly named. Lifelong resident and proprietor Armand Hurford jokes that he used to hang out in the café next to his new shop whilst In-Utero. Now the upstart bike shop is tucked away in a tin shed beside the historic Post Office and Bistro.

Huford is a mature twenty nine years and riding bikes has taken him many places far and near. First as a BMX racer in grade one and later, guiding mountain bike tours at sixteen. He’s wrenched for other shops and sold bikes for Kona, traveling between Winnipeg and the Yukon.

“I’ve literally been in every bike ship in Western Canada. There is no way I’d build a shop anywhere else but in this location.” chides Hurford.

Community is key when building a bike shop. It’s more than a place to buy bikes and get them fixed. It will take some time for the Republic to build its own culture. The freshly hewn wood exterior and a friendly dog tied outside give the shop the right “feeling, vibe and soul”.

The former auto body and furniture shop was worse inside than the roughshod looking exterior when Hurford took over. When asked about the most satisfying moment prior to opening last week, he says it was the opportunity to have four generations of his family working together.

“It’s pretty rare that I can work with my Grandfather, Father and daughter (age 5) to help build my dream.”

When asked about challenges he hasn’t faced many yet. Hurford feels that everything lined up to make it happen. The perfect location. The correct timing. The right concept. Being the third wheel in town doesn’t phase him.

“ Both bike shops (Tantalus and CORSA) do an excellent job and are very successful. But there is a point where someone is going to open another shop and my business model doesn’t need a whole lot of sales to be sustainable.”

Currently he does all the sales, repairs and grunt work. His fiancé Jen helps with the books. This small shop concept has its share of challenges he admits. Often times he can be found fixing bikes until the wee hours of the night.

“My niche will be one to one customer service. I also feel that bikes are meant to be ridden and not driven around.”

Many riders finish their weekend rip and drop their wheels off at the shop for a tune up and then walk home. Approximately twenty people a day were stopping in during the opening week.

Product wise, Republic will hinge its line on Jamis mountain bikes. The American company has slowly been building a reputation south of the border and is making its break into Canada. Hurford is an avid road rider and he plans to support that market as well. Squamish’s burgeoning BMX scene will also find their tricked out bikes at his shop.

To get the word out, Republic is sponsoring a SORCA Youth Toonie race on April 29th. Group rides are also on the horizon. Republic’s grand opening will be announced in May.

Around the Water Cooler

Should Tantalus way be called “Eatery Alley”?
Sushi Sen Japanese Restaurant and Essence of India open their doors
Lizzie Bay Logging is moving its office to Pemberton

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