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41 | O akville B eaver | T hursday,N ovem ber 11,2021 insidehalton.com SCAN FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT metrolandparcelservices.ca Metroland Parcel Services delivers packages for large-scale businesses to over 3.5 million Ontario households - without price hikes during peak season. If that, plus reliable, affordable and timely delivery sounds good to you, get on board. DO YOUWANT PEAK PRICING ORPEAK SERVICE? Chantal Ingram's busi- ness, Flourish and Bask, opened on Oct. 16. She considers this accom- plishment a sort of "home- coming." She used to work in a former downtown Oakville shop called Harvest at Home. Even after moving out of the downtown, Chantal and her family have "played on the grass and the town square and we've had ice cream and coffee and we've had dates in almost every restaurant downtown. And so it's a real part of my fami- ly." She decided she wanted to be a permanent fixture in the downtown. In 2020, it was looking like her dream of owning a business there was within reach. But a series of events, including the CO- VID-19 pandemic, really put the brakes on her goal. "I had an appointment to go to the bank to get a bank loan to start the business, and I had a realtor that I was working with," Ingram said. "She went on vacation and said, 'I'll talk to you when I get back.' And then my moth- er ended up in the hospital (not because of COVID) and all, and then and then the world shut down." Ingram says that the pan- demic delayed her plans by "about a year and a half." With one omen after another, she began to think that it was not meant to be. She began applying for jobs in the non- profit sector. But she just wasn't feeling excited about the prospect. "It wasn't until I actually got an interview, and I start- ed to just feel really horrible at the idea of going back into that career that I wasn't su- per happy in," she said. It would take her hus- band, Mike Ingram, to really give her the push she needed to revive the business and start anew. "He was my greatest supporter," she said. "When I kept looking at full- time jobs, he knew my heart wasn't in it and it was actual- ly him who really convinced me that I should be owning my own store." Flourish and Bask, locat- ed at 245 Lakeshore Rd. E., is easy to miss. It is located just north of Dunn Street and Lakeshore Road East. Its mission is to help Oakvil- lians be good entertainers to their guests. There's glassware, cock- tail shakers, some home de- cor, serving pieces like trays, candles -- just to name a few items. "Right now, the big- gest portion of my sales are coming from the cocktails (category). So I've been sell- ing lots of glasses and all of the syrups and bitters, be- cause we were one of the only stores in Oakville that car- ries them." The shop is very much a family business. Olivia In- gram, Chantal's daughter, works in the store. Her hus- band and mother both helped her get it up and run- ning as well. DREAM OF OPENING A BUSINESS ALMOST DIDN'T HAPPEN Flourish and Bask founder Chantal Ingram. Mansoor Tanweer/Metroland MANSOOR TANWEER mtanweer@metroland.com BUSINESS FLOURISH AND BASK LOCATION: 245 Lakeshore Rd. E., Unit 2, Oakville, Ont. PHONE: 905-582-0994 WEBSITE: www.flourishandbask.ca HOURS: Monday: Closed; Tuesday to Friday: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturday: 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; Sunday: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. *Plus HST. See full terms and conditions at tsoffers.ca/deal/CNWKGIFT. This introductory offer is not available to current Toronto Star subscribers. Offer includes the Saturday and Sunday edition of the Toronto Star Newspaper and Starweek magazine. The New York Times International Weekly and Book Review section is not included. Save 59.8% off the newsstand rate. Home delivery will continue after the 12-month introductory period at the regular home-delivery rate then in effect. Contact customer service at 1-800- 268-9213 or 416-367-4500 to get the regular rate for your area. Payment must be made by credit card only. View our subscriber agreement at thestar.com/agreement and our privacy policy at thestar.com/privacy. **The $25 Metro gift card will be delivered to you once your first payment is processed successfully. Please allow 2-4 weeks for delivery of your gift card. Refunds are not available for the value of the gift card. Subscriptions cancelled prior to the end of the subscription term will be charged back for the value of the gift card. Offer expires December 31, 2021. WEEKEND HOME DELIVERY NOW $2.99* a week for 12 months LIMITED-TIMEOFFER! 60%OFFALMOST SUBSCRIBE ONLINE: tsoffers.ca/deal/CNWKGIFT OR CALL: 416-367-4500 and quote code CNWKGIFT METRO GIFT CARD WHEN YOU SUBSCRIBE PLUS GET A $$2525$25**