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B6 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday October 20, 1999 Business To reach this section call 845-3824 Fax:337-5567 REAL SERVICE FROM REAL PEOPLE. T H A T 'S STATE FA R M . D o n 't trust ju st anyone to insure your car, see m e: Wayne McGill 2345 \XyaoA Rd. #21. Oakville 847-5671 Teamwork built Silver Thimble over 20 years Steady growth over two decades By Kathy Yanchus SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER Little did Joan Phillips dream that when she opened the doors of her little stitchery shop 20 years ago, it would become one of the most vibrant shops in town, with its own dot on the interna tional stitching map. The Silver Thimble may be diminu tive physically, but the store has reached great heights in its achievements over the past two decades. "The way it's grown, slow and gentle, it doesn't seem like 20 years," comment ed owner Phillips. "They have been 20 great years. Number one, because of the girls who work here with me. The loyal ty, enthusiasm and the ideas that come from all of them." Phillips refers to her seven full and part-time employees - particularly long time friend and stitching pal Caro Owen -as her extended family, all blending seamlessly to provide knowledge and education to customers and students. "For a long time it was Caro and I together. We select the people. Number one, they have to be compatible with the two of us. I own the business and the building, but Caro has absolutely been my right arm from the very beginning." Staff must also have a general knowl edge of stitchery, but fields of their own expertise. "I encourage them to sit in on classes and get the feeling for other methods of teaching so when there's the need for over-the-counter teaching, they can pre sent it in a good way. We have such a good time together and that's what's so special." It was never Phillips' intention to open her own store, but such was the demand for her expertise, she was com pelled to, if for no other reason than to keep cars off her front lawn, she smiled. Stitching had been a part of her life since she was six years old. When her three daughters mentioned they were "bored", she requested they each bring home three friends and she would teach them her artform. "I wasn't a teacher. It was pleasure stitching." A month later, the mothers of the girls called Phillips to ask if she would teach them what she had taught their daugh ters. "I did one class, then two classes. Next thing I was importing yam from New York. And it went on from there. It grew to a point where people were park ing on our front lawn, on the street." With a small inheritance at her dis posal, she scoured Oakville for a sight to set up shop promising herself that if a suitable one could not be found, the idea would be forgotten. "There was this little house, commer cially zoned, it had parking. It was an ungodly mess. It had been an insurance evolved into a "very sophisticated plea sure and creative art-form", the tiny shop, meticulously groomed outside and bursting with stitching paraphernalia within, kept pace. Phillips was responsi ble for the Embroiders Association of Canada's first correspondence course and along with national and international teaching commitments, spread her tal ents and the store's reputation, around the globe. "I like to think we kept up and led to some degree." With her website, Phillips attracts cus tomers from Newfoundland to British Columbia, England, Ireland, Israel, Japan, Australia, even South Africa. As she celebrates 20 years of success, Phillips credits her customers, the fasci nating people she has met over the years, as another reason for her longevity in business. She has watched many of them, both men and women, evolve in their stitching confidence and creativity. "The thing about a stitcher is that, male or female, you can each reach out and you meet them in the middle and establish a chain and respect for each other." In terms of creativity, "the sky is the limit." "That's the other exciting aspect of this business, is that you can stir up the creativity that is dormant in someone." With its peaceful, gentle rhythm, stitching also claims a proven `medicinal factor', for many people, said Phillips. "When you establish a rhythm it's peaceful, gentle and relaxing." One of the most ambitious events planned for The Silver Thimble's 20th anniversary is the presentation of a copy of The Bayeux Tapestry, one of the world' s most famous stitcheries. (The original in in the museum in Bayeux France) The tapestry is available for viewing between 9:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. six days per week. Visitors can enjoy this beauti ful 230-foot panoramic tapestry repre senting the invasion and conquest of England by William the Conqueror in 1066, upstairs in the shop. Photo by Barrie Erskine Joan Phillips from The Silver Thimble celebrates her 20th anniversary in business. company which went bankrupt, then Frank Philbrook used it as his campaign headquarters." The small white house at 64 Rebecca Street, just east of Kerr, was "almost gut ted", and her son Stephen, an architectur al student at the time, designed the studio on the second floor, a cozy carpeted attic. "It's nice up there. You're not dis turbed by what's going on downstairs. It's a unit unto itself." In this tiny crevice, teachers from the world over have brought their expertise to captivated students. Between Phillips and her other teachers, classes have been, and continue to be, conducted in every thing from smocking to lace making. Part of The Silver Thimble's success through good and bad economic times is the continual growth of the store's inven tory and offerings, as well as the mount ing international reputation of its owner. "When we started I had almost no stock. I had the Persian yam and the best canvass in the world which comes from Switzerland" As the art-form M3P00 Lfeii-i'Jft C/w er O f IH e Y ear !) NQ/WNATE YOUR CAREER C ar eer o r the year P eadljne: O c to ber 25,1999 T he O ai<v /lle Beaver w ould ukE to SHOW THE/R APPECIATION AND AWARD 1 fEMAL AND 1 MALE CARR/ER. S u s yA lfc o fti* Kifuiah A lpha Jantt- £ttkc: Batiinginner A U n iq u e A r tE x h ib itio na n dS a le - 133 To support D o n e :U ing Manty La* R&D workshop a success Halton companies were the first to learn how Ontario's Scientific Research and Experimental Tax Credit could be used for facility expansions. Called "Pushing the Envelope," over 50 companies, both large and small, listened to Gary Bateman and David Sabina of Bateman MacKay Chartered Accountants, specializing in the area of taxation, provide information on the criteria required to successfully apply facility expansions and product evolution to the SR & ED Tax Credit. Ontario is considered to have the best R & D tax credits in the G7 countries, except for Italy. This is the first time that the potential of applying a facility expansion to the SR & ED Tax Credit has been presented to the business community. Gary Bateman of Bateman MacKay Chartered Accountants stated, "If a manufacturer must design a building to accommodate a new production line, it is unlikely to occur without utilizing the components necessary in an application for the SR & ED Tax Credit." The workshop was a partnership effort between the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade, Halton's Business Development Centre and Bateman, MacKay Chartered Accountants. Elaine Holding, Business Development Officer for the Region advised that ferreting out this previously unidentified advantage for industry, was the reason experienced claimants were there. "This data is essential to support our local industry. I want Halton industry to know that we are always on the look out for programs that will increase their competitive advantage and help with the bottom lines." Y our S upport is Greatly A ppreciated ] Below is a Nom ination F orm th a t you are w elcome TO FILL OUT AND FAX, CALL OR DROP OFF TO AT 4 6 7 S peers R oad OAkviLLE, L 6 k - 3 S 4 FAX: 3 3 7 - 5 5 5 7 iM ` ond Ite r> eB 73 Y V o r-n elet M jn T h eO a k v il l eB e a v e r Iren e3 o i;fa n g ie-M ich au d M aty S -o rn le s ' d e n icaC e rttw t S s rs a ftC ta tk C n o fe E v eO a trs s e M atJfclb iih ?L«r.:r{: Women s Habitat Etobicoke and Interim Place. Missisauga shelters for abused women and their children B r U** Isviit S « ts.Matkay S s J S 3 ftM a n g e lD a v^a o n A n nM c C s s a D o n sM c C a rth y S ed }areM c G iven : F e iitti-c eM u m sey 1 iN A M E : 1P H O N E : j AW PE9 3 : jP O ST A LC O P E : C A L r '/t K N o m in a t io n f o r a a ^ ------------------------ ______________ 1 1 1 1 1 1 NOW AVAILABLE O akville , B e v e rle yD s d u ? L o is0 :t::ia m The Living Arts Centre in Mississauga C h a r-o n eN ie ls o n s N o e iieD io n n e N fs fs c yO a s e s 4141 Living A its Drive let; D o n o v a n Heotfrer Page Free entrance end perking R a n e eD e fin eh e r M o ryP « s *u y P a tO w r Rewonuy Pereire 2 0 2 3 ^ c to U e 1939 S h irle yE rs k in e G a b yP in e d a B a tt fe n b a rs W Prewiew fe taf u c h a -e Wednesday 20 October P at s -o s r? ie o e S aitora Rehi-s 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. J e « tt:« a r? a h ry Esss-13 Rtsi-sfrSsCy Thursday 21 October V e c h e !G o g n te i tiazi S skcaya;,; 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. U o d s fc yS reter toe*Ssssrr-Pafroy. D e rr? :tv -G ro s tw n Sale W ts s -J y M eryM o rtis eG u y Thursday 21 October V s C lO S m itls H a ze ;H e rv e y 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. 3 -o ro ic eL u s traS -.jrg e k io rs tmH o rn s e c Friday 22 October r-*yS s iro u ie M a rsh aH e n ric rs p ft 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. M o rg aict S q u ire fio L -ii-H e s s e Saturday 23 October J so icfi M a s o f: S ta i-v -s S A irrire v 'H c -s r c -1 9 a.m. to 8 pm . ·J o e -m sS tro n g U :«Im w s-r.-ie g L y d iaT a ira t&aUnhd o w e rs k i An initiative of deenr-ic T h-lO ittn aJ u tia s A n n ?T o r; E v eK p?* 0 2 Pratt a WkHaey C a u d a K a ro R o aV a rin -.i^ rfa .-w -J X i A n n e-M ariak o m tie m ;* © AUMai TMtmotoglMCo4i*any Fern Hill School owners honoured by Ambassador The co-owners and operators of Fern Hill School have been awarded an Ambassador's Award from Canada's Ambassador to the United States, which recognizes outstanding achievements of Canadian women entrepreneurs. "This is an honour for us. We are very pleased to accept the award," said Joanne McLean, who along with partner Wendy Derrick, owns and operates Fem Hill School. The Ambassador's Award is given in recognition of outstanding achievements by Canadian women entrepreneurs, based on criteria such as potential for job creation, contribution to the economy, and finding and developing a niche in the marketplace: McLean and Derrick are among seven award recipients in 1999. McLean and Derrick founded Fem Hill School in 1982 and first operated out of a church basement. Today, they have two campuses in Oakville and Burlington, serving 460 children from Junior Kindergarten to Grade 8. The two Fem Hill Schools employ 50 teachers and staff. McLean and Derrick were also recip ients of the 1998 Canadian Women Entrepreneur of the Year Award in the Quality Plus category. They are also list ed in the November issue of Chatelaine magazine as among the "Top 100 Women Entrepreneurs" in Canada. They received their Ambassador's Award on Oct. 17th in a ceremony in Washington, D.C. with Canadian Ambassador to the United States, Raymond Chretien. 2000 D e c o r a t i n g L 7 /T 7 //t7 ty e S 7 u // / j C e n t e r s (since) 1980 At these Oakville L.C .B .O . locations: D orval BLINDS ·DRAPES ·SHUTTERS Silhouette Blinds 338-1039 U p p er M iddle 849-9934 A lan Street Wood Blinds Luminette Blinds 844-6852 H opedale M all 827-5072 Plus W ith each bottle puchased a donation o f $1.00 w ill be contributed to the Heritage Trails Legacy Project o f the C om m unity Foundation o f O akville and The O akville 2000 Committee N o Unfited Time Only Call lo r FREE estimate OAKVILLE* 1290 SPEERS RD., Unit 8 * · (Between 3rd 8i 4th Line) O TH ER LOCATIONS: (905) 827-1341 M A R K H A M , R I C H M O N D H ILL, A L L IS T O N , A U R O R A . C O L L I N C W O O D , T O R O N T O 1 -8 0 0 -3 4 6 -9 5 0 1