Manitoba Chamber of Commerce
Issue link: http://publications.winnipegfreepress.com/i/211797
Pa r k l a n d Company WomeN Entrepreneurs mean business in Roblin By David Square S mall businesses are key economic drivers in Manitoba, and entrepreneurial spirits are high in Roblin. Wanda Jordan and her mother Linda Regehr are among the latest entrepreneurs to step up to the plate with their Starving Artist Bistro Café. When they discovered Roblin's historic 1903 train station was available for lease, the duo undertook renovations and opened the unique restaurant in late June. Regehr now lives in a suite above the restaurant. A former waitress from Saskatchewan, she also creates oil paintings that adorn the walls of the eatery. Along with an extensive menu that includes traditional hardy meals to feed farm crews during harvest, she and Jordan offer gluten-free items, local and natural products. They also offer live entertainment, playing host to local musicians. "We want this to become a place where people feel comfortable just to drop in for a cup of tea or one of our specially mixed 14 MBiz November 2013 sodas," Jordan says. Mary Newton discovered Roblin is a great place to run a business and raise a family after she opened the Crazy Daisy Hair and Tanning Studio five years ago. Before her two young sons came along, Newton leased a rundown building that had previously housed a secondhand store and transformed it into a modern salon, complete with hardwood and tile floors and chic black-leather seating. "It required a complete overhaul, from new flooring and paint to new electrical lighting and a complete plumbing job," Newton says. "The renovation wasn't inexpensive, but it was cheaper than leasing or renting commercial real estate in Calgary, where I'd been living before I moved to Roblin to be with my husband." Newton learned her trade in Winnipeg, where she grew up. Along with hair-styling and tanning services, she also markets a line of beauty products that are well received by both men