Every one of Georgina’s businesses are ambassadors for the Town, cementing themselves in the community’s fabric, establishing long-lasting relationships with residents and visitors, and helping to shape Georgina’s reputation as a great place to do business.
Since 2016, the Town has celebrated some of these businesses and their families that have operated in Georgina for generations with the Mayor and Council’s Milestone Awards. In 2022, nine businesses that have operated for more than 20 years were celebrated at a gala in Sutton alongside the Georgina Chamber of Commerce’s Business Excellence Awards. Learn more about the families behind these businesses, their history and the impact they’ve made.
Fellini Fine Wines
More than 25 years ago, Dan Fellini looked to Georgina, an up-and-coming town north of the city, to start his wine business. He decided to open in Uptown Keswick on Simcoe Street, later expanding to the current location on Queensway North. Since 1996, Fellini Fine Wines has produced more than 1.5 million bottles of wine, established relationships with many returning customers, and cemented itself as one of Ontario's leading ferment on premise facilities.
Like any new business, getting your start and establishing your presence can be challenging. To help build trust with his customers, Dan established relationships through the honour system. This, along with quality products and a passion for wine-making, created a loyal customer base – one that he is proud to pass on to his son.
Dan loves what he does. He particularly enjoys using his many years of wine-making experience to create custom blends, an advantage that draws new customers and keeps loyal customers coming back. Whether ordering for a special event, business function or personal enjoyment, Fellini Fine Wines stands by its product. It takes pride in quality and making sure each customer is satisfied with their order with a guarantee.
Prestige Jewellery
Prestige Jewellery has been operating in Keswick for more than 28 years. A family-run business, Sam and his sons, Rob and Ara, have successfully operated and expanded their jewelry store, providing Georgina and surrounding area residents with a local option for custom jewelry and repairs.
In 1994, Sam recognized that Georgina would be a great location to start his business due to its growth and lack of competition at the time. The first location was located in the Glenwoods Plaza. When new commercial development on Woodbine Avenue became available for lease, Prestige Jewellery moved the business, expanding its showcase space and adding more products. At that time, it also invested in a laser welder, which allowed it to increase efficiency and provide the best products to customers.
The business prides itself on its honesty, which is known to be hard to find in the industry. “Jewelry is very personal,” said Rob. “Customers always look for somebody honest. When you are honest, you gain their trust.” Understanding the value of honesty in their line of work and being known for their customization work are reasons why Prestige Jewellery has been in business for so many years.
Sam, his sons and the staff enjoy what they do and the clientele they serve in Georgina. It’s the reactions from customers that make them smile. Rob said, “When people pick up their inherited pieces handed down from loved ones, it brings back a lot of memories for them. We have a lot of teary eyes in the store when it comes to pick-ups.”
They not only put in extra care with customers, but they also give back to the community. Prestige Jewellery puts money aside to ensure it can give back through sports-team sponsorships, silent auctions, donations or any way to do its part.
Sterling Tire
Sterling Tire in Keswick is, for many Georgina and surrounding residents, the first business they think to call when the weather changes. During its busy season, it sees approximately 100 cars a day come in and out of the shop. Pretty impressive considering the business’s humble beginnings in 1978.
The current owner, Josh Stevens, had taken what he thought was going to be a summer job in the early 2000s. Little did he know that he would soon take over the business, expand its products and services to meet demand, take on municipal and public service contracts, and become one of the province's top six tire distributors and purchasers.
The business may have grown, but its commitment to exceptional customer service stayed constant. Sterling Tire has always been proud of its commitment to service, something Josh says has remained constant through all of the changes. In order to continue to provide the same service yet meet the needs of the Town’s growing community, expansion was needed.
Expanding and building a 10,000 sq. foot shop with five bays, a lounge and a showroom during the pandemic was certainly a huge and, at times challenging undertaking, but “it's all worth it now,” said Josh. They can now provide 10 times the amount of work in a more efficient manner.
Laurel’s Supreme Style
“Who gets to talk all day, listen to music and make people feel good? We have the best job,” said Laurel, the owner of Laurel’s Supreme Style in Sutton, when asked what she loves most about what she does.
Laurel opened her salon in 1992 on Dalton Road, moved to a couple of other locations in the area over the years and has been at her current location on Baseline for more than 14 years. Her six stylists have been with her for many years, one of which has been with her for the entire duration of her entrepreneurship journey, which speaks volumes to the culture she’s created internally. Their many years of business success are a testament to their care for each other and the community they serve.
Laurel and her team pride themselves on providing their customers with an exceptional experience with their electronic reminder system and ensuring their scheduling allows the appropriate time for each client's needs.
If looking for a stylist, one would be easily swayed to book by reviewing the many five-star reviews. One client said, “Highlights and haircut are exactly how I wanted. Reasonable prices too. I would highly recommend Laurels!” Another client wrote, “They are very conscientious about their Covid protocols, which was comforting. My stylist listened carefully to my requests and gave me wonderful advice. My hair was brilliantly highlighted and expertly cut, and I am delighted with the results.”
Sutton General Store
The Sutton General Store has been a staple in downtown Sutton since 1997. It offers an eclectic mix of old and new, with many items to explore. You’ll find new gifts, home, cottage and garden decor, souvenirs, and birdhouses, along with antiques and quality-used items. The Sebo family prides themselves on providing an enjoyable and memorable shopping experience for locals and visitors.
Living in Markham, the family would visit Georgina to enjoy Sibbald Point Provincial Park and Lake Simcoe. It was during one of these trips that they noticed commercial space was available on High Street. With Frank’s passion for antiques and growing collections, and his mom Ruth’s desire to always own a store, they combined their efforts and bought the building.
They wanted to include gifts and garden, and, at the same time, respect the history of the building, which had been a hardware store for many years. They decided to call the store the Sutton General Store since it had a variety of new and old merchandise. They set out to be different, interesting and unique, and of interest to locals but also a destination. They have certainly achieved that goal, welcoming repeat customers from all over the world and establishing themselves within the fabric of downtown Sutton.
Ruth particularly enjoys seeing the generations of customers coming in and listening to their stories of when they remember shopping in the store with their parents when they were young. It’s this care and pride in their store and community that has played a role in their success over the years.
“The store to explore” is true to its tagline. It is a much-loved shop with something for everyone in Georgina that generations of residents and visitors continue to enjoy. The Sebo family should be proud of their many years of business success, and the impact they’ve had on the Sutton BIA and Georgina.
Sammy’s Chicken Coop
Eva Wahab and her family left Thornhill and moved to Keswick in 1983. In the early 90s, she was approached by a restaurant owner to take over his business after experiencing her delicious home-cooked meals. With four young children, Eva was reluctant, but she always loved to cook and decided to take the leap. She, with her family, established Sammy's Chicken Coop, which has become a well-known dining establishment in town with many long-term and loyal customers.
"This town has been good to us," said Eva. "I never thought I'd own a restaurant. I got into the business and haven't looked back. My customers allow me to go on holiday and never give up on me. I like what we do and the people – we get a lot of pleasant customers."
Eva, a self-taught cook, loves to stay busy working alongside her family to serve hot-table meals. They've made a name for themselves not only for being open on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day but for their exceptional customer service and home-style attention that goes into every dish. The more than 250 glowing reviews online show how much they are loved and supported.
Sammy's Chicken Coop has supported the community in many ways over the years, and the community has wholeheartedly returned that support. Regarding the community, Eva said, "In my belief, walking down the street and seeing somebody who needs help, it makes me happy to help. You have to give. And it's better to do it in your community."
Good food and good people – the perfect recipe for more than 30 years of business success.
Keswick Family Eyecare
In 1996, Dr. Lisa Fung opened the optometry practice she had always hoped to after graduating from the University of Waterloo. She wanted to choose a nice small-town community with growth potential where she could lay her roots. Establishing her full-scope practice in Keswick, a community with little competition at the time, allowed her to do that. Today her practice is flourishing with three doctors, nine staff and a loyal patient base.
Keswick Family Eyecare focuses on quality and service, two pillars that have led to its longevity. It provides full-service care and stays up-to-date with all of the newest technology and treatment to ensure it can continue to provide its patients with the best quality of care. “It’s about helping people and growing with my patients,” said Lisa. “It's become my family. It's not just about business when we help our patients, it's because we care about them, and we have a great relationship.”
The practice’s commitment to service extends beyond its welcoming doors. Keswick Family Eyecare gives back to the community in any way it can. Sports teams, donations to the local curling club, charities, support for the Santa Claus Parade and bursaries at the local high schools for students pursuing a career in science or healthcare. Needless to say, Keswick Family Eyecare goes above and beyond. Its care and compassion for patients and the community add to the small-town warmth Dr. Lisa Fung was looking for when she was deciding where to open her practice.
Strictly V-Twin Inc.
It all started with a passion for motorcycles. Fred Hale entered the motorcycle business in the early 90s. He continued to work his day job as a paramedic while the business grew and occupied more and more of his time. All the while, his two children, Amy and Ted, grew up with the business, later taking the reigns after pursuing education.
The name was changed to Strictly V-Twin to help riders more easily identify with the business as an after-market shop that specializes in Harley Davidson. There is a full retail store and mechanic shop with three expert mechanics that do repairs, builds and dream projects. It has evolved over the years by adding more products and eCommerce, which increased its reach and revenue streams, to become a go-to, award-winning business in the industry.
Strictly V-Twin welcomes customers from hours away. Part of the reason it draws customers so far is due to its reputation of being knowledgeable in the industry, and for always going above and beyond to help customers, whether it has what customers are looking for or not.
More than 30 years later, the Hale family legacy continues. A good reputation for service, knowledgeable staff and a willingness to adapt to the changing market continue to push this Georgina business forward.
Georgina Garden Centre
Georgina Garden Centre on Old Homestead Road is one of the area's largest and most well-known garden centres providing a multitude of services, including landscaping, lawn care, shoreline restoration, delivery and planting, and products in-store such as annuals, perennials, shrubs, trees, house plants, gifts and more.
With more than 30 employees, depending on the season, this Georgina business has grown tremendously since it started 38 years ago. Owner Mike started the business with landscaping in 1984 and then opened a small garden centre with his wife Connie at Five Corners (Queensway and Morton) in 1989. In the early 90s, he and Connie opened the doors to a larger facility, which they have expanded over the years.
Part of the business’s success is a result of the relationships staff have built along the way and its dedication to providing a personalized experience for each customer it serves. Manager Shannon says, "We try to remember everyone by name. We pride ourselves on personalized service – you're not just another customer coming through. We want our customers to feel like they are home.”
The commitment to service extends into community involvement. Mike and Connie have supported sports teams, the Chippewas of Georgina Island and the Terry Fox Run, for which they have helped raise more than $350,000.
The knowledgeable and experienced staff, and the quality of the product, often hand-picked, also contribute to its success.
The families and staff of these businesses help to form the foundation of our local economy. They not only provide products and services that have made an impact, but they’ve provided jobs and financial sponsorship for causes that make a difference in our community. The Town of Georgina congratulates them all and thanks them for their continued commitment to Georgina.
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