Excellence at Kootenai Moon

Recognition from the community is sweet for Val Semeniuk and her staff at Kootenai Moon Home

Valerie Semeniuk is the owner of award-winning Kootenai Moon Home, a furniture store in Nelson, B.C. — Photo courtesy Valerie Semeniuk

As a youngster growing up in Alberta, Val Semeniuk knew she wanted to own her own business and to live in the British Columbia mountains.

After 23 years in banking, including management positions in Edmonton, Calgary and Toronto, she decided to pursue her dream, and moved to Nelson, B.C. Semeniuk did her research and with the support of her sister—who owned a wicker and rattan store in Edmonton—she opened Kootenai Moon Wicker & Rattan in 1997.

Her business grew rapidly, and has moved into larger premises a number of times. Kootenai Moon Home now has a new name, a new focus, and—for the fifth and hopefully last time—a new location as of June 1, at 115 Hall Street in Nelson.

Semeniuk said she’s very happy—actually, “over the moon” were the words she used to describe her feelings—to receive Nelson’s Retailer Excellence Award this spring. She sees it as a lovely recognition of her years of work and growth, and the continuous effort of her staff to provide remarkable customer service.

“It’s an ongoing challenge to identify what the community is looking for and how I can serve it best,” Semeniuk said. “I do it by listening to my staff and our customers, doing research, attending trade shows and continually learning.”

Semeniuk has invested in a number of independent mentorship programs for herself and her staff over the years, and she has taken advantage of courses, programs and funding available through governments and other sources. Her career in banking taught her the value of continued education and improvement of her skills.

“I’ve also used wage subsidy programs whenever possible,” Semeniuk said. “I have built my own business library of retail and management books about customer service, marketing and sales, and I’m happy to lend them to other retailers.”

With the intention of promoting teamwork rather than competition, Semeniuk has her staff on salary rather than commission.

“That means that we can really be a team,” she said, “and focus wholeheartedly on customer service.”