Bev & Lowry
An artical by the NPNA
Under new owners for less than a year, the instant and solid success of Serious Coffee at this site has been amazing! Bev & Lowry made the decision to leave Red Deer, Alberta, and come here to start a family business after their kids Kristi & Bryden, now 21 and 18 respectively, had finished high school. They had lived in Victoria 17 years ago and knew they wanted to return.
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Bev, Bryden, Kristi & Lowry Burrel |
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| The serious family impact is pretty apparent, as there’s rarely a time you can drop in when one or more of the Burrell Foursome isn’t present. Though Kristi is pursing training in Sterile Procedures at Victoria General Hospital and Bryden has begun his studies at Camosun in Civil Engineering, they continue to serve up those lattes, lunches, and other tea and coffee sensations. With Bev’s background as a payroll supervisor in the oil and gas industries as well as Lowry’s past career as an insurance claims supervisor, you know they bring some good business sense to this operation. Yet, it’s the open friendly welcome you experience from this family and other staff that really entices you to keep returning. When special concerts are happening at the arena or weekend long events at our North Park churches, Lowry and Bev are happy to accommodate by extending their hours for those particular dates. They are truly committed to being a supportive and vital part of North Park. Make sure you show your NPNA Membership Card to enjoy their offer of two for one drip coffee, any size. Bev & Lowry were the first business in our ‘hood’ to sign up for our Rewards program and we look forward to helping them celebrate their location’s one year anniversary on July 1st. |
NPNA: How did you choose this location for your business?
Lowry: We knew we wanted a company that was local to the Island and we checked this company out thoroughly, so knew it was the right fit for our family. This was the only Serious Coffee location that was available for franchise purchase at the time. So here we are!
NPNA: It’s apparent that you have a success here. What do you think made that happen?
Bev: We have terrific friendly staff!
Lowry: The loyalty of our customers is awesome! A government office across the street took a survey of the most popular coffee shop in the neighbourhood…we won!! Another regular customer told us “You’ve created an institution here!”
NPNA: So, what’s your favourite coffee drink?
Bev: Matcha, a Japanese green tea
Lowry: Coal Miners Organic with a double shot of vanilla (which has become the drink of choice for this interviewer)
NPNA: What’s your favourite Serious Coffee lunch item?
Bev: Chicken Meat Pie
Lowry: Beef Stew
NPNA: Describe a fun night at home with the family.
Bev: Playing cards while we drink London Fogs and in bed by 9:00! Kristi then joined us and added another favourite…family BBQ’s and in bed by 8:30!! (we now know the secret why they are ALWAYS so friendly & welcoming!!)
NPNA: Where, in Victoria, is your favourite place for a dinner or two?
Bev & Lowry: The Keg (remember these are ‘Alberta’ people originally, gotta’ have their beef!!)
Lowry: Recently checked out Saigon Nights at Blanshard and Broughton, really good!
NPNA: What, for you and your family, is the best attribute of North Park?
Lowry: The people, definitely.
Bev: They’re the best, keep coming back, and really have welcomed us to the neighbourhood.
NPNA: Is there one issue, in particular, that the NPNA has addressed, that has affected you and your business directly?
Bev & Lowry: The closing of the needle exchange, definitely. Their moving impacted on our buying the business. Before we bought this business, we would sit in our car and watch what was going on. We saw the negative impact, learned who was involved in addressing the issues, listened and watched some more. It is so much better, especially on this corner now. There are still a few problems, but nothing like it was.
NPNA: Are you aware of a need/issue that you would like to see NPNA address?
Lowry: None. We read everything you send us and check out the website so we can see that you’re on top of everything. Seems that the NPNA is involved where they need to be and working on things.
NPNA: Will you be attending our Special General Meeting in June and our AGM in October?
Bev: starts writing down the dates!
Lowry: Yes, we need to do that. We need to start getting out to the monthly board meetings too and get more involved, meeting the people and other business owners in the neighbourhood.
Article by: Sue Lawson, NPNA Membership Chair
Photo by: Jenny Dhillon |
