15 years of feeling good: Saint John boutique reaches milestone

When the Feel Good Store first opened, owner Anne McShane recalls, "a couple of men in suits" came in, took one look at the wellness books, crystals and yoga supplies and dispensed a little advice.

"They were like, 'It's a pity little lady, because people just aren't into this stuff here,'" McShane said.

That was 2001 Saint John, when wellness was not a commonly used word and "people thought it was really weird to have a retail store in the front and a caf in the back."

I think it's helpful for small business that when one closes we not speak about it as a failure. Change is the nature of growth.- Anne McShane, the Feel Good Store

Her vision for her Germain Street shop may have seemed strange to some people at first, but it has paid off. The Feel Good Store marked 15 years in business on Nov. 1.

"Every time you create something new, you will encounter resistance," said McShane, who moved from Sussex to Saint John in the late 1990s, when her job at a potash mine ended.

"You need to listen to customers, but have a vision of your own and confidence to stay the course."

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Change doesn't mean failure

Germain Street has been transformed in recent years by a strong cluster of independent shops but the trajectory hasn't always been smooth.

When Bustin's Fine Furniture, a family furniture business since 1905, announced it was closing its 99 Germain St. shop last year, "everyone was like, 'Oh, this is terrible,'" McShane said.

"But I thought, 'That family has held those doors open for over a hundred years.' That's a celebration to me, a huge accomplishment."

McShane invites Saint Johners to rethink the way they talk about those changes.

"I think it's helpful for small business that when one closes we not speak about it as a failure," she said. "Change is the nature of growth."

Sure enough, the former Bustin's building was sold to a developer in 2014, and by mid-2017 will house at least six new bars, restaurants and retailers.

"That's the nature of business they come and go," McShane said. "And on Germain Street, there have been far more coming than going."

Slow down, feel better

In her business, McShane said, the only goal is that people "feel better when they leave than when they come in."

She has a natural vivacity and enthusiasm for finding out what customers need, whether it's the perfectly balanced essential oil, a lively debate on local news or a deftly poured cup of tea en route to work.

"People like to see that the owner of a store is personally invested," said McShane, whose volunteer work has included sitting on Saint John's planning advisory committee and work with Uptown Saint John, the Saint John Theatre Company and YMCA.

"It's about community and becoming part of the fabric of the neighbourhood," she said.

McShane isn't planning any big changes to mark the 15-year milestone.

"There's a pressure to expand and grow, but I don't want to. I like what this is and I don't want to change but also, to not become stale.

"I call it the slow shop movement."

Small can be mighty

The slower mindset, said McShane, also means resisting Saint John's tendency to hang its collective hopes on big, multimillion-dollar projects.

"When the mood of the city follows big announcements of success or failure, it affects our confidence as consumers, and as business owners."

Sustainable growth is about the long game, she said.

"We have this really strong fabric of resilient businesses," said McShane, "and we don't need to change our minds about that based on the most recent announcement or press release."

It's important to create "a successful landscape" for everyone.

"Our small businesses, which cumulatively employ more people than some of the large businessesand are far more diversified economically speaking, as a portfolio, should also be celebrated."

Although Saint John's reputation isas an industrial hub that lives and dies on major projects, it's small businesses, just as much as multibillion-dollar industries, which have shaped fabric of the 231-year-old city.

"Even if it's slow, and it's not shiny," said McShane, "it's still happening."