A happy trade-off

The beauty and accessibility of nature around Golden, B.C., attracted this couple from Toronto

Stefany Davies and Keven Schecter are happy to go canoeing with their dog, The Dude, on lakes and rivers near their home in Golden, B.C. — Photo courtesy Stefany Davies

Stefany Davies launched her line of women’s fashions, Stefany Davies Design, several years ago in her hometown of Toronto. She and her husband, Keven Schecter, left Toronto in October 2010 and settled in Golden, B.C.. Every spring and fall Davies travels back to Toronto to sell her fashion line at the One of a Kind show and sale, North America’s largest consumer craft show.

A casual aptitude becomes a career

As a teenager, Davies liked to remake clothes that she found at thrift stores, creating signature garments that her friends admired. That talent came in handy some years later when, unable to get the directing job she wanted at Buddies in Bad Times theatre in Toronto, she was offered work in costume design.

“I did theatre studies at Dalhousie,” Davies said, “but it’s incredibly hard to get established in that field—not that design is much easier!”

A welcome change of pace

Davies and Schecter both enjoy being active outdoors. They developed a particular love for the Yoho National Park area after working for a season at The Truffle Pig restaurant in Field, B.C., when they were younger.

“It was an adjustment—a welcome one—to move full time to a smaller community,” Davies said. “I was sick of the city and really enjoy living right in nature. I can afford to have studio space in my home. We have a pace of life here in Golden that’s less hurried and less stressful—I really appreciate that.”

Davies said that working in her home studio is great, but it limits her outside contacts and her opportunities to meet people.

“Luckily,” she said, “Keven (a lawyer with the firm of Ewan and McKenzie in Golden) meets lots of people and I meet them through him, but I’d like to make some more connections and friendships in the community.”

Schecter believes that practising law in a small community allows him more variety in his work than he would get in a large centre, where legal practice is very specialized.

“I appreciate the wealth of experience I’m getting with this firm,” Schecter said. “The partners give me incredible support, yet I’m able to work independently and have lots more direct interaction with my clients and time in court than I would expect to have at this stage in my career if we were still in Toronto.”

A wealth of local resources

Columbia Basin Trust (CBT) has provided Davies with valuable assistance. CBT’s Basin Business Advisors Program did a free assessment of Stefany Davies Design and referred her to a marketing consultant. Davies has also developed a good relationship with a local photographer.

“Finding that type of resource is surprisingly easier here than it is in a huge city, where there are many resources but it’s competitive and expensive,” Davies said. “There’s a bigger market for my product in Toronto, but the cost of living and lifestyle here are better for us. I’m working on developing my markets in B.C.”

Feeding the soul

Davies and Schecter appreciate the proximity of the mountains, rivers and lakes where they can engage in their favourite activities—skiing, hiking, camping, swimming and canoeing.

“I’ve recently become interested in gardening,” Davies said. “In Toronto I just had a few pots on my patio, but last summer I was able to have a real garden and I just loved it so much. And because I don’t have to commute, I have more time, with beautiful mountain air to breathe. It feeds my soul and refreshes my whole self.”

In August 2013, Davies and Schecter will welcome their first child into this happy environment.