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Times Advocate, 1992-08-05, Page 5.10 Times -Advocate, August 5, 1992 Page 5 Students get satisfaction ,from operating tiwirown sur =messes Melissa Brock (left) and Ro- chelle Geoffrey of Exeter sport two of the handpainted t -shirts they already have in stock after only a few weeks in operation. The young entre- preneurs hope to begin cus- tom designing for customers soon. Young entrepreneurs tackle own summer t -shirt business By Michelle Ellison T.A.-Staff EXETER - Melissa Brock and Rochelle Geoffrey are getting a jump on the entrepreneurial world. At 15, the grade 10 students at South Huron District High School recognized their flair for fabric painting and turned 4 into a t -shirt painting business. The girls say although they didn't start the craft because of any diffi- culty obtaining summer employ- ment they admit they stumbled upon the idea when trying to save money on a fnend's birthday present. "Our friend had a birthday, so we painted her a shirt, but we liked it so much we kept it," explains Ge- offrey. For about S17.50, anyone can purchase one of the unique, hand - painted shirts created and designed by both of the young artists. Bright coloured watermelons, sealift, ABCs and clowns adorn the assort- ment of shirts Geoffrey and Brock have in stock already. Various colours of sequins are also an added, personal touch to most of the shins "mainly to bright- en them up," says Brock. The length of time to complete a shin varies from a couple of hours to a number of days. "h depends how much is on and how much detail is on it,' says Brock. The hand sewn sequins are the most time consuming. Although Geoffrey says "you just have to sit back and look at the shin," to get an idea for a design, both agree it is difficult to continue to come up with creative thoughts. They hope to start doing custom designs as soon as the fashion statement catches on. Only in business for a few weeks, they have sold a few shins mainly to family and friends. To gain in- terest in their target group, Brock and Geoffrey have taken their latest additions to their collection to friends' homes and they say the re- sponse has been good. Keeping costs low with brushes, paints and t -shins as their only ex- penses, the girls simply hope to make some extra spending money this summer and say they may con- tinue into the school year when they have more access to students. As their first such venture, Brock and Geoffrey feel it is a step in the right direction for the future and say although "a couple of our fnends laughed at us for the first one," they think they can prove them wrong.. Zurich student enjoys the challenge in painting business By Michelle Ellison T -A Staff ZURICH - In only his second year of operation, Tim Westlake of Zurich comes across as a veteran of the student business world. Running Lakeside Painters out of his parent's home, the 22 year-old University of Western Ontario stu- dent says, "It's great cxpenence. it's a challenge to make it work. It up to you to make it a success.' Westlake and his staff of students provide interior and exterior paint- ing to the Grand Bend, Zurich and Bayfield area focussing on com- mercial and residential work. As well, refinishing woodwork, stain- ing decks and minor repairs will also be provided if necessary Westlake has had to scale down his operation slightly this summer from five employees to two be- cause he has seen the economy and the weather take its trill on the area. "There is cess work this summer. The weather hasn't helped. ... When it's sunn), there's a psycho- logical factor to get things done," says Westlake. However, Westlake knows he is providing a worthwhile service as he has had much repeat and referral business this summer. He believes this has simply evolved front ad- ministering professional service at a reasonable price. "i really do monitor what's done even if someone else is doing n.... 1 think! give good value for what 1 do," he says. Westlake employs students and .ays he finds customers are very re- ceptrve to this type of labour. "Most of the people are very gen- erous and very nice. They (the stu- dents) arc really enthusiastic and (homelowners often get a real kick out of them.... It's really entertain - Lakeside Painters is in its second summer of operation and is run by Tim Westlake of Zurich, a tlnlveralty of Western On- tario student. Here, Tim stains the wainscotting of a Zurich home he is helping to renovate. mg for them [the customers]," says Westlake. Local businesses have also, been very supportive, says Westlake. One of Lakeside Painters' most ac- complished assignments has been The Village Guild, a gift shop in Bayfield. Although • Westlake believes he could have found other employ- ment for the summer, he says he continued running his own business because, "I really enjoyed last sum- mer. The expenencc was terrific. ... 1 met an awful lot of interesung people . " Westlake admits that the experi- ence he has gained would be very valuable for any student interested in business, but adds that there is a lot of hard work involved. "You have to hustle. You have to knock on doors and present a pro- fessional image and be dependa ' ble," he advises. Boatwashing service In Grand Bend for third yea, running By Michelle Ellison TA -Staff GRAND BEND - What better place than the outdoors as the set- ting for a young person's summer business venture? Chad Miller of Grand Bend did just that when he and a friend cor- roborated their love for the hot, sumine sun and their interest in sail 'aid power boats to begin a boat washing service in the lake- side village three years ago. The fact that "no one had really done it for a couple of years," sparked their attention and Miller says "before we knew it we had flyers and all our supplies bought." Then, he says, "it was too good a thing to give up after one summer." Over the three years, the small business has employed from two to four people at times, but now, Mill- er with occasional help from broth- er Scot, runs the service alone. He feels, however that the de- mand for his service has not de- creased since the business' incep- tion mainly because of the convenience the boaters want with what limited time they have to spend on board. "I've been turning people away. ... They want to enjoy their boat for a weekend. We haven't had much good weather so for the good weather, they just want to enjoy the boat, not spend an hour cleaning it," explains Miller. The amount of time depends on the duties Miller must fulfill. Exte- rior and interior washes are weekly chores, while waxing, sanding and oiling teak, bottom painting and tarp and carpet cleanings would oc- cur only once or twice a season. A typical 32' cabin cruiser at the Grand Bend Cruising Club could be prepared for the water in the sprung (including wash, wax, teak, labour and materials) for about $240 and weekly washes sell for about one dollar per foot. Although Miller's boatwashing service mainly includes power boats, he also enjoys shining up a nice sailboat, he says. "I kind of like cleaning sailboats. 1 was working on power boats all the time. It is a nice switch," he says. Despite the "fun in the sun" im- age that goes along with the job, Miller assures there is much more to it than that. "lf you want to make something go, you can't just sit back ... you have to work for it," says Miller. His advice? "Don't really start too big. Make sure it's something you know what you're doing," he says. BEST RATES On your G.I.C. 6 year f 411C Gasser-KneaIe Grand Bend 238-8484 Exeter 235-2420 Tak Run For The Border Careful though. it's not our saying, and on top of that. we've moved the border! The border is now at London's Westmount and with 180 stores, something is always on sale. All the best values are here plus we can sell you gas, alcohol and cigarettes too. No, not at U.S. prices but it's legal. close and convenient. P.S. We've got a 'i au' Dell too in our 5(10 seat Le Cafe Food Court. ‘sestniount offers mote than what you would expect bum a Shopping Centre, plus with over 180 shops and services, many of them exclusive to Westmount, you'll love the difference. W,TMOUNT SHOPPING CENTRE. LONDON On Wonderland Road South of Commissioners Shop 10:00 am 10 9:00 Mon. to Sat.. Sun. 12:00 pm to 500 in Chad Miller of Grand Bend is in his third year of operation for his boatwashing service and is presently handling about eight weekly maintenance jobs. 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