A pair of Port Moody entrepreneurs who are all about boosting community are hoping to give a boost to businesses in the city struggling to navigate the COVID19 pandemic.
Victoria Petriw and Sydney Van Alstyne are offering 15 prizes of their Port Moody & Co.- branded leisure wear to residents who continue to shop locally in the city and profess their preference for doing just that on Instagram.
Petriw said it’s important for people to rally around those elements of community they hold near and dear. And the city’s independent businesses are a big part of that.
Petriw said it “feels like we’ve been stripped away from so many people and businesses that were perhaps more meaningful than we knew.”
Petriw and Van Alstyne started their company in 2017 as an expression of their own affection for Port Moody they developed while working at Osamu Sushi when they were teenagers. The T-shirts, hoodies, sweatshirts and hats they sell online capture the zeitgeist of a city that’s become cool for its craft beer scene and its proximity to nature.
But, Petriw said, it goes much deeper than than.
“We’ve really focused on building the local love by featuring all the places, businesses and people that make this place truly special,” she said. “We are lucky to live in a place that has built a thriving community.”
To ensure it continues to thrive, even in the middle of a public health and economic emergency, takes a team effort, Petriw said, adding her company is keeping a running list on its website of local businesses still open.
Residents and businesses need to be pitching in together to get through the rough patches, she said.
“We all have something to give, and something to receive,” Petriw said. “The only way we’ll remain strong as a community is if we continue to support one another with what and how we best can.”
• Port Moody & Co.’s shop local Instagram contest runs until Friday, April 17. Click here to learn more about how to participate.
