When Barb Bond arrived in Chemainus almost two decades ago, she knew it was a place she wanted to put down roots and open a business.
Fresh off the success of a bakery business in Victoria and a solid background in the hospitality industry, Bond bought a building at the corner of Chemainus Road and River Road and made plans.
“I wanted to do a tearoom,” Bond recalls. “That’s what I bought the building for.”
Unbeknownst to her, Chemainus was already home to an established tearoom, operated by sisters Debra Young and Teresa Davies and called Twisted Sisters.
“That ended that. I couldn’t do a tearoom. My husband, Ian, said, ‘OK big shot, what are you going to do now’ and so I had to come up with something.”
With a rather dilapidated building to renovate – the old building was in rough shape after several incarnations as a real estate office, pizza shop, dress shop and Bonnie Martin’s original restaurant – Bond got to work, despite the pessimism of amateur, local contractors.
“They told me it was a tear down,” she laughs. “When we were done, they thanked me for sprucing up the corner.”
And Bond began creating a new business, Silver Mine on Chemainus. She took courses in silver smithing; Ian did jewelry repairs and Barbara began making connections in the jewelry world.
The store carries handcrafted rings, bracelets, pendants and other items created by local artists and other suppliers from around the world including Brazil, Italy and Israel.
Sixteen years after taking a chance in a new community, Bond says she couldn’t be happier.
“I always feel I’ve been very blessed. I get to meet the most interesting people, and I love the people who come into the store,” she says.
It hasn’t all been smooth sailing, but Bond has a way of turning adversity into opportunity and she hasn’t met a challenge she can’t handle.
“Covid turned out to be a real positive from a business standpoint,” she says. “And when Ian was diagnosed with Parkinson’s 13 years ago, we had to make some changes.”
Ian continued to work in the store for a while but that came to an end a few years ago.
“So, I made the decision to open three days a week, Friday, Saturday and Sunday and it has worked out great,” Bond explains. “It has worked out great.”
Silver Mine on Chemainus is located at 9650 Chemainus Road.
