Nora O’Malley
nora.omalley@westerlynews.ca
There’s a new Love Team in town and they want Ucluelet businesses to help them promote the West Coast as a hot spot for winter romance.
The Love Team, a.k.a. Ucluelet Chamber of Commerce board members Damien Storm, Marilyn McEwen, Dian McCreary, and Suzanne Ryles, launched an initiative called Romance on the Edge back in December with the notion of attracting more couples to the Coast during the shoulder season.
“We want this to be community driven. It’s all about the community and all about Ucluelet buying into this and becoming part of this initiative. Without the community, Romance on the Edge is nothing,” Storm said.
Flowers and hearts are always sweet, but the Love Team is encouraging businesses to think outside the box when it comes to promoting February as the month of love.
“We want people to be creative. Rob Thoms a well-known musician sings three songs as a serenade,” Storm said adding anyone interested in hiring Rob can book him by visiting romanceontheedge.ca.
Several other businesses have embraced the new initiative.
Thay Tea is offering a special chocolate rose blend during February, Nurture Spa has a couples’ sauna experience, and several local resorts are promoting romantic getaway packages.
“This is a business opportunity business owners should jump on. You don’t even have to be a member of the Chamber. It’s open to any business in Ucluelet,” Storm said.
He reiterates that the success of Romance on the Edge rests solely in the hands of Ukee’s business community. Word-of-mouth will be the best way to get other shop owners involved and Facebook posts will help drive in traffic from outsiders.
Storm believes the West Coast has a rugged, passionate, feel to it and said it’s the ideal place for lovers to reconnect so he wants to put Ucluelet on the map as such.
“True love is not for the faint of heart. That level of commitment, that level of communication, that level of vulnerability... Well, this place isn’t for the faint of heart either and that’s what makes it special. That adds depth to it,” he said.
“We laugh that the Internet isn’t that great out here. Well that’s awesome because put that phone down. You know, you’re not here to be texting everybody or uploading pictures to Facebook non-stop. You’re here to reconnect with the person that you are with.”
The Love Team has worked hard to introduce Romance on the Edge with unique branding that includes a substantial website and Facebook page. The focus for their first year is to get businesses involved but Storm hopes that romance in February will eventually be on the same level as Whale Fest.
“What’s more romantic than storm watching” he asked.
“It’s a great place for couples to getaway for a romantic adventure. They could be on their honeymoon, they could be celebrating an anniversary, they could be getting married or they could just want to get away just the two of them.”