SALT VICTORIA NOW OPEN | 813 Fort St
It's finally here! SALT 2.0
For those of you who have ever started a business, you know how insane it can be to tackle the big milestones. And how rewarding! For anyone who hasn't, let us tell you, it is quite the ride!
There are a thousand and one decisions to be made, and they all seem to culminate at the same time. There are so many balls in the air all the time and keeping them floating is like running a circus. Our brave leader Jessica has had her life dedicated to this project non-stop for months.
“Coming to Victoria is a big deal for SALT. I wanted to do everything I could to ensure that my brand makes a big impact in it’s new home. This store is my vision come to life.”
As a designer, Jessica is used to the feeling of trying to explain her ideas to people who have trouble grasping them. That makes seeing them coming together in real life all the more satisfying. The new space has undergone a huge transition and Jess’ signature stamp is shining through. She didn’t put any limitations on what she wanted for the store and didn’t compromise the parts that she felt were integral to the feel of the interior. There are lots of clean lines and geometrically inspired features. We particularly enjoyed working with welder Lindsay Mitchell from Biophilia, the previous tenant of the space, and our hardworking friend Tristan Fetherston of Fetherston Fabrication. They created some of the more intricate and unique parts of our space.
So many great local trades helped bring this store together. A big thank you to them all!
Tony the Drywaller
Ken from Houle Electric
Henry, who made our concrete counter top in a rush!
Kenwood Design, for our shelving
Philco Construction + their guys for our framing
Tristan from Fetherston Fabrication for our welded structures
Lindsay from Biophilia also for some of our welded structures
As SALT has grown as a brand, so has it’s team. With the upstairs loft we will finally have a proper shipping and stock area, as well as an office space where we can have staff meetings, training sessions, and a communal work space where we can collaborate with other business owners and dream our big dreams together. The staff area was designed to be plastic free, in conjunction with our 2018 commitment to be plastic-free in our daily operations. Piled in the cabinets are our new 100% cotton labels and paper hangtags. We tried to compromise as little as possible to make our space eco-friendly, and built our design around natural materials like wood, metal, and concrete.
Jessica is excited to become a part of a new community and bring another sustainable shopping option to the Fort St area. We are all looking forward to connecting and collaborating with our neighbouring entrepreneurs. And to sample from all the nearby restaurants and cafes. Our spot is surrounded with so many delicious establishments like Discovery Coffee, La Taquisa, and Fishook; we will certainly never go hungry!
As the proprietors of these businesses, and any business surely know, building a company from scratch isn’t easy. Taking on expanding it to be more, to go beyond what is required is an even bigger undertaking. There isn’t time to slow down and focus on one thing in any given moment. You still have to keep everything else running, and Jessica has been running till most people would drop, and getting up every day to do it again.
“Being your own boss can be tough. You could always be working. Managing production schedules and orders, leading a team, plus all the added work that goes into opening a second store – it has been a lot. But I still choose to make time for myself to achieve balance and make sure I am enjoying the process and sticking to my values. I am so grateful for everyone on my team and everyone I have worked with to make this new location happen.”
We could go on about every screw and drop of sweat that went into this process, or you could come down and check it out for yourself. We are very proud of this new space and super excited to share it with you and all the strangers who will become friends in Victoria.
Our doors are open and for the next few weeks we will be working out any kinks that arise. Our Grand Opening Party is set for August 9th. It will be held in the beautiful outdoor Fort Commons space behind the store, and will be an evening of food, music, fun, and touring the new space. Stay tuned for details!
Address | 813 Fort St, Victoria
Store Hours |
Monday-Thursday 10-6
Friday- Saturday 10-7
Sunday 11-5