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www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday November 28, 2007 - 31 2007 Nominations are open! Presented by the Rotary Club of Oakville West and the Oakville Chamber of Commerce Joe Levine and Jim Hobbs relax at Joshua Creek Trading Furniture & Home Decor. Joshua Creek 10th anniversary By Mandi Hargreave SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER CATEGORIES FOR THE OAKVILLE AWARDS FOR BUSINESS EXCELLENCE: Oakville Entrepreneur of the Year Oakville Restauranteur of the Year Oakville Small Business of the Year Oakville Large Business of the Year Oakville Service Provider of the Year Oakville Environmental Leadership Business of the Year Nomination forms are online at In the last 10 years Joshua Creek Trading Furniture & Home Decor has grown from a small fruit stand to a 6,000square-foot store that's increasingly becoming more and more successful. After Jim Hobbs purchased a home in Oakville, where he grew up, he began shopping around for furniture. He was quickly disappointed in his options for affordable furnishings that not only fit his budget, but also his style. In order to find something like that he had to drive out of town, which he couldn't comprehend. Being a businessman, he turned this experience into an opportunity. Hobbs' motivation came from his inability to find affordable, stylish furniture within Oakville's borders. He says his store took off and is successful because there was no real competition in town. After fours years the business became unmanageable for him due to the overwhelming response from the community. He brought on his grade school friend, Joe Levine, to become coowner and help manage the business. But Levine had been in the wireless business and wasn't sure about making the switch to furniture. So he did some of his own research. He visited furniture stores within Oakville and instantly discovered Joshua Creek Furniture was different. He says the atmosphere was relaxed and customers could take their time choosing furniture. Calling Oakville a unique community, Hobbs says a big part of the store's success is because of where it's located. He says 90 per cent of their business is from word of mouth. The business partners attribute this success to their dedication to customer service, at all levels, even after the purchase. "It's not like we're doing something extraordinary," says Hobbs. "Just what I would expect, so it's easy in that aspect." He says selling is just a fraction of what they focus on. They also put a priority on having reliable suppliers. This is an area they research well so that they can sell dependable products that customers want. Customer service is another priority. "Service is our focus," says Levine. "We make sure everything is 100 per cent to the customers' satisfaction because we're on the floor [serving]." The partners describe their furniture selection as upscale, casual elegance with transitional pieces. They say their customers range in age from 19 to 65. Hobbs says baby boomers have a younger sense for furniture and are in tune with new designs. Last year, the pair opened a second store dedicated to children's furniture, Joshua Creek Kids and Cottage Furniture. They expected that after a few years it would have the same kind of success as the first store. However, that success came much sooner than expected as it, too, has taken off. Hobbs says the huge success there probably comes from the success they've had at their main store. "Business is better than ever," says Hobbs. "A lot of retailers (in the area) have gone out of business, but we're experiencing record sales." When you shop at Joshua Creek Furniture the owners say you can expect to shop with confidence. They want customers to go home happy with their purchase so that they continue to come back, satisfied each time. "We tell people to relax and take their time," says Levine. "We're the only store that says to buy less and then add more later." Joshua Creek Trading Furniture & Home Decor is located at 1029 Speers Rd. www.oabe.ca/nominations Nominations are being accepted until 5:00 on December 17, 2007 Schools, Churches, Clubs Pick up your FREE COPIES of SONGBOOK PG 1 11/12/07 5:29 PM Page 1 Boston Pizza hosts holiday food drive Oakville's Boston Pizza is hosting a holiday food drive to support `Food for Life.' The charity works to deliver homes throughout the Halton Region to families in need. Boston Pizza, located at 2011 Winston Park Dr., is looking for donations of non-perishable food items, which can be dropped off at the front host stand. Burlington Boston Pizza locations are also drop off areas for this year's food drive. It runs from now to Dec. 23. The goal for the Boston Pizza food drive is to fill 10 large boxes for Food for Life. 633 · 905.257.3 UPTOWN 1 Oak Park Blvd. .338.3737 105-23 WN · 905 t 267 MIDTO th Service Road Wes 251 Nor · 905.845.4 N DOWNTOW shore Road East Lake 326 32 pages of Christmas at the Oakville Beaver office, 467 Speers Rd.