- Story by Tess van Straaten Photography by Don Denton

Story courtesy of , a Black Press Media publication
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Not many people can say they91裸聊视频檙e the big cheese. But Nanaimo91裸聊视频檚 Eric McLean sure can and he has the T-shirt to prove it.

91裸聊视频淧eople get a good chuckle out of it and it helps me stand out,91裸聊视频� laughs Eric, who started McLean91裸聊视频檚 Specialty Foods 27 years ago.

The Glasgow native was even inducted into the Guilde des Fromagers, or 91裸聊视频渃heese hall of fame,91裸聊视频� five years ago. And his passion for good food is contagious.

91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 like one of my customers said the other day 91裸聊视频� life91裸聊视频檚 too short to eat bad cheese,91裸聊视频� Eric says.

The idea for the specialty foods store, located in Nanaimo91裸聊视频檚 Old City Quarter, was actually the result of Eric and his wife, Sandy, being unable to find ingredients like extra virgin olive oil, prosciutto and good cheese when they moved to the Harbour City almost three decades ago.

91裸聊视频淲hen we moved here from Vancouver 28 years ago there was nothing,91裸聊视频� explains Eric. 91裸聊视频淲e just realized there was a big hole in the market. It91裸聊视频檚 hard to believe, but before I opened the store in 1992 you couldn91裸聊视频檛 even buy balsamic vinegar and nobody knew what San Pellegrino was.91裸聊视频�

For Eric, who91裸聊视频檇 worked in the food industry since immigrating to Canada in 1980, opening the store 91裸聊视频渉ad to be done91裸聊视频� and he says many of his first customers had also recently moved to Nanaimo from larger cities like Vancouver and Toronto.

91裸聊视频淟ike us, they91裸聊视频檇 moved here and couldn91裸聊视频檛 find what they were used to buying,91裸聊视频� he says. 91裸聊视频淚 promoted the store at first as a place to get hard-to-find ingredients.91裸聊视频�

With around 150 different kinds of cheese 91裸聊视频� one of the largest selections on Vancouver Island 91裸聊视频� as well as gourmet oils, vinegars, truffles, p芒t茅s, a delicatessen and wide assortment of Danish, British, European and South African specialty items, McLean91裸聊视频檚 has attracted a loyal following over the years and a surprising number of new customers.

91裸聊视频淓very single day for the past 20-plus years, we91裸聊视频檝e had at least one person, and usually several, say: 91裸聊视频極h this is great, we91裸聊视频檝e never been here before91裸聊视频� or 91裸聊视频楩riends told us about this place, we just moved here,91裸聊视频�91裸聊视频� Eric says. 91裸聊视频淓very single day, without a lie, so can you imagine what that does for our confidence. We91裸聊视频檙e doing something right and the positive reinforcement has been phenomenal.91裸聊视频�

But running a small business isn91裸聊视频檛 easy. In the beginning, sourcing the products was the biggest challenge. However, now the challenge is competing with grocery and big box stores that have big buying power and are now carrying more specialty items.

91裸聊视频淚n the last three-to-five years, supermarkets have suddenly discovered things like balsamic vinegar and prosciutto,91裸聊视频� explains Eric. 91裸聊视频淭he biggest challenge is supermarkets have realized specialty foods are part of a growing market. But their main motivation is price and they can91裸聊视频檛 tell you what to do with the product.91裸聊视频�

While Eric says he usually can91裸聊视频檛 compete on price, he can offer something chain stores can91裸聊视频檛 91裸聊视频� specialized service and extensive product knowledge.

91裸聊视频淲e can spend time with the customer and tell them what to do with the product, share recipes and share our experiences using it. And that has given us the edge,91裸聊视频� Eric says. 91裸聊视频淚 teach my staff to get to know our customers and to treat them like they91裸聊视频檙e important, because they are. I may sign their paycheque but I don91裸聊视频檛 pay them. I tell staff to always remember the customer pays them.91裸聊视频�

Eric says the most important lesson he91裸聊视频檚 learned in running the business has been to trust his instincts. But the best advice came decades ago, when he was still in Scotland and training in sales, from a man who would become his mentor.

91裸聊视频淗is name was George Burrows and he told me never, ever bullshit the customer because it will come back to haunt you,91裸聊视频� Eric says. 91裸聊视频淲e were in a shop one time calling on a good customer he91裸聊视频檇 had for a good number of years, and the owner was going to order this and that [from us] and George told him not to order it because it wasn91裸聊视频檛 a good fit for the store. I asked George what the heck he was doing because I thought we needed every sale we could get, and he told me that if he goes back next month and it91裸聊视频檚 still sitting there on the shelf, the customer isn91裸聊视频檛 going to be happy. 91裸聊视频楬e91裸聊视频檚 going to be really pissed off if I sold him something for the sake of selling something.91裸聊视频�91裸聊视频�

The conversation has definitely stuck with Eric, whose other passion is music. He91裸聊视频檚 been playing guitar since he was 13 years old, including a stint professionally, and is one of the co-founders of the Nanaimo Blues Festival. His other claim to fame is launching Mott91裸聊视频檚 Clamato on Vancouver Island when he worked for Cadbury-Schweppes years ago.

91裸聊视频淚 learned an awful lot about product margins, how to merchandise product and how you can increase sales by moving product and repositioning it 91裸聊视频� because the location of the product is really key,91裸聊视频� he says. 91裸聊视频淚 like to get a product that looks nice because basically it91裸聊视频檚 fighting for its life to get someone to pick it up. So the better or more interesting it looks, the better chance it has of finding a home.91裸聊视频�

After almost three decades in business, it91裸聊视频檚 clear Eric has found his home. But the grandfather of three isn91裸聊视频檛 planning to retire anytime soon.

91裸聊视频淧eople ask me if I have an exit strategy and I say, 91裸聊视频榟ow do you spell that? We91裸聊视频檙e going to keep on doing what we91裸聊视频檙e doing and trying to stay ahead of the curve.91裸聊视频�91裸聊视频�

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