05: The Secret Behind a Small Town Business That Connects

SPEAKER_00: The internet has taught us to think about business in terms of visibility, growth, and scale. But some of the most successful businesses I've encountered in small towns have built something entirely different. They've built a sense of belonging. And I think there might be an important lesson in that.

Welcome to Small Town Stories, the podcast exploring the business behind Main Streets and the people shaping small towns across Canada, the U.S., and beyond. I'm Jan Dishwell, top-right podcast host, marketer, and small town local.

And every Thursday, we're diving into honest conversations about entrepreneurship, creativity, marketing, reinvention, and what it really takes to build something meaningful in a small town today. From local storefronts to growing brands, community builders to nationally recognized names, this is where modern business meets small town life. Let's get into it. Well, hello, and welcome back to Small Town Stories.

I'm your host, Jan Ditchfield. Lately, I've been thinking about the places that make us feel like we belong. Not our homes exactly, and not necessarily the places that we work. I'm talking about those third spaces that somehow become part of the rhythm of our lives.

The places where we run into neighbors, we catch up with friends, celebrate good news, recover from bad news, and slowly become connected to the people around us without ever really planning to. Every community seems to have them. And in Merrickville, one of those places is the Village Bean. Now, if you've never been to Merrickville before, the Village Bean is a coffee house tucked into the heart of the village.

And on any given day, you'll find locals gathering around the tables, tourists wandering in from the streets, cyclists stopping during a ride, and occasionally even horses tied up outside while their riders come in for a coffee. It's the kind of place that makes visitors look around and think, people actually get to live like this? And at the center of all of it is Robin Frederickson. Fifteen years ago, after being laid off from her previous career, Robin made a decision that would keep her in the community she had come to love.

What she couldn't have known at the time was that she wasn't simply buying a coffee shop, she was becoming the steward of one of the places where community happens. My conversation with Robin wasn't really about coffee. It was about why some businesses become part of people's lives while others remain places we simply visit. Because after 15 years, the village bean isn't just a successful business, it's become part of the story of the community itself.

And I think there's an important lesson in that. So let's get into it. Robin, welcome to the show. Thank you so much for having me.

I've been really looking forward to this conversation because one of the things that I've become fascinated by while making this podcast is that every small town seems to have a few places that becomes part of people's lives in a way that's hard to explain. And I think for me, the village bean is that from Ericville in many ways, isn't it? I I think it is, yes. Yeah.

So I know that um the bean is something, again, if um anyone who's locals listening, we know you everybody, you know who they are, and they know who you are, because everybody, we all go to the bean. Um, but I really wanted to kind of start back with how you came to the bean and how the bean became your business as well. Because you bought it um as a way to stay in Merrickville after a particular pretty big life change is what ended up happening. And I was wondering if you could kind of walk me through what it was about this community that made you want to build your life here.

SPEAKER_01: Absolutely. Well, initially coming to Merrickville, it was I was in pharmaceutical sales and it was in the center of my territory. I was looking to leave the city. I wanted a little bit more of a slower pace of life.

I wanted a little bit more space. And moving to Merrickville was a great way of doing that because I live two kilometers from the main core of the village, uh, but I have two acres of land, and it was a nice balance to be able to have all the resources and amenities that I wanted close by and but not be isolated by living far out in a more rural space. So that was what initially brought me to the area. And then a year after I moved here, I was laid off during an acquisition from my professional job.

And so it gave me time to consider what was going to be the next steps, you know, what I was gonna be when I grew up. Um and I ended up getting to know people at the coffee shop. They ended up asking if I was interested in helping out there. And after a few months, they put it up for sale.

And uh, me along with uh my dad, who's my business partner, uh we purchased it. So it was a great way to purchase a job for me to be able to stay local and a great uh retirement project for him as well when that time came. SPEAKER_00: I really like the story about your father because I didn't know that when we were talking before and getting ready for this, that your dad was a part of the business. It was a family business, is what it really is in a lot of ways.

And it it struck me, and I was curious what it's like to build a business with your dad. SPEAKER_01: It's it's very interesting. I really do, I really do enjoy it. Uh, we have a really great relationship, but uh, for many years he lived down in Michigan uh with my mom and uh until she passed away and then eventually knew that when he retired he would come back to Canada.

So finding something that was fulfilling for me and to be able to have a job and a career and an opportunity uh while giving him something to do as well in his retirement. I think absolutely it's kept him very vibrant as he's in his, he's in his mid-70s now. Um, but he likes to come in at the end of the day and do the cash and help the girls restock the fridge and do the garbages. And um, he likes that interaction with uh the people.

And then him and his partner need to always come every morning and sit and have coffee and chat and and gather with with our community. SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I I know I see him there often. I always think it's it's I think it's special. It's wonderful.

Yeah, it must be really wonderful. Um, I'm really curious about, you know, when we think about the village bean and we spend time there, it really is um a centerpiece to the to the village. And I I often think about what it must mean if somebody who actually wants to learn what it's like to live in a small town, a pulse of a small town, um, what do you think they would learn by spending a week at the bean? SPEAKER_01: Oh my goodness, they would learn, they would learn so much.

I I always joke that Merrickville is full of character and it's also full of characters. There's such a dynamic group of people that come into the shop every day, and it really creates a very, a very interesting atmosphere. Even the other day, I was while I was working at the back, I turned around and looked, and there were eight different people sitting in the shop that had each come in individually, and they were sitting at three different tables. So they they had already grouped up and they were all having one conversation.

And I just thought this was a really, you know, it's a really fascinating thing that happens where you have all of these different people who come in and join, and then one conversation will will ensue and different viewpoints that go from one side of the shop to the other and discussions. And I I really do do love that for anybody who's looking for resources, if they have any questions, if they're looking for, you know, a painter or I need someone to help with this, or does anybody have a truck to help me move that?

It's a great way to find out from the collective knowledge uh base of the people who who frequent the coffee shop. SPEAKER_00: Do you think that there are people who don't live live in small towns that misunderstand I mean, you know, what do they misunderstand most about community? Because really at the heart of it, the being is it's community. SPEAKER_01: I I feel that way.

And that's one of the things that I love most about it is that being that a focal point for the community and a place for people to come together to meet, where you know, you walk in as strangers and leave as friends, a sort of idea. And I think that goes for our locals and sometimes even when you when the tourists come in and they see that dynamic and they think that this is a pretty, a pretty special place. And I always appreciate it and love it when they give us that free that feedback.

SPEAKER_00: Yeah. And just continuing down this path, the the village bean has been described as a heartbeat of the community, and it's it's very on social. You see it, you hear it everywhere. It's people talk about.

And I'm curious from your perspective, what makes a place become the heartbeat of a town? That's a that's a that's a tough question. SPEAKER_01: I think consistency, I think being there every day, um, being somewhere that is familiar for people where they are seen when they walk in the door, they're recognized. We, we know their name, we know their coffee order, um, you know, we know their families, we know where they live.

Um, it's really that familiarity. It's like people walking into their living room or walking into their own kitchen, I think, some some mornings to get their coffee. That's what they're doing when they they come into the coffee shop. And I I'm always so grateful when I I see comments, you know, on social media about us being the heartbeat.

I I'm very grateful for that. But I do feel that we are a bit of a focal point uh within the within the community. And it's also something where I always tell parents or new parents to town, tell your kids that they're always safe here. You know, if they ever, if they ever find themselves lost or disconnected with someone, tell them to come here because we are connected enough that we will be able to figure out where they live, who they belong to, get in touch with their parents.

We know enough people. And I I always want people to feel that. And that also goes for our senior community as well, that where they might feel a little bit more lonely or be living on their living on their own, they know that they can always come to the coffee shop and sit and have a coffee in a muffin if they want to engage in conversation with other people, they're there to do that. And I think that creates an environment that's that's comfortable and it fulfills a need within our community.

SPEAKER_00: We were talking about this before we, when we were getting ready to record the episode, we were talking about the idea of third places, right? Third spaces. Yes. And that that very much is what the village being represents to so many people is their third space.

SPEAKER_01: I'm also grateful for that. I recently came back from a trip in Europe, and one of the things that struck me is that in these more ancient, you know, civilizations um and and areas, they've always built in a gathering spot within the community. You know, if you go to Italy, there's the the piazzas that are built at Center Square where there's, you know, cafe culture, there's bistros, there's places for music, for people to just be and to connect with one another. And so so, yes, I'm very grateful that people feel comfortable and that we can, you know, hopefully be one of those places for our community.

SPEAKER_00: Did you at any point s realize that you simply weren't serving coffee anymore, that there was more happening there than just being a coffee shop? SPEAKER_01: I wish I could pinpoint a time when that became a realization, but you know, at some point over the years it did. It's not a transaction, just a coffee transaction or sandwich breakfast transaction. It really is about uh knowing people's, knowing, knowing people's names.

And, you know, sometimes my friend customers will come in and you know, I give them hugs and it's it's a really, you know, joyful, joyful time. As I it's like seeing your family and your friends come in every day. So yeah, I realize that it's it's it's more, it's more, it's not about the coffee. It's really not about the coffee.

It's about the experience that people have and hopefully for the most part how we make them feel when they walk in the door. SPEAKER_00: Do you ever feel um, I think, surprised by that responsibility or by what you've created there? Like, does it ever have you ever had a moment to reflect on that? I know I'm throwing you with that question, but I I'm just this I'm always so impressed with you and so and what you create by it.

And I know how you're so deeply respected in the community. So I just wonder sometimes, is that how does that make you feel? SPEAKER_01: It actually makes me makes me quite emotional. I think uh the time that that really came to the forefront, I think was during the pandemic.

Uh, we closed, I was coming back from a trip, and so I had to quarantine. And so as soon as I knew that my staff was going to be taken care of, uh, I I did lay them off and we were closed for one week during the pandemic. Other than that, we were open every single day. So then once I came back and was able to be back in the shop, we did modified hours.

We worked, I worked eight to two, seven days a week for seven weeks just by myself. Because could we have just closed our doors? Absolutely. You know, we we could have done that and I could have had some time, you know, at home and rested or whatever.

But I felt a greater responsibility to the community and to still be there for the people who needed to see a face where they otherwise couldn't, um, who needed a place to just go, needed a place to go to pick up a coffee and exchange a few words for people with somebody else. And uh that was that was the reason that we we did it. And I was grateful that we were able to um to stay open and take out capacity throughout that. Uh, but I was so surprised by the number of faces we saw still, you know, every day that would come in and get a coffee or a meal to go as as many businesses we pivoted during that time to be able to meet the needs of our community as best that we could.

Um, but even people that were just out for a drive to leave their house to be able to to see a smile, see a smiling face. Yes. See smiling eyes, let's let's say, but to but to still be there and still be that constant and that consistent consistent force in the community. SPEAKER_00: Yeah.

I imagine that after 15 years, because it's been 15 years that you've been in business. We did celebrate our 15th anniversary this year. That's incredible. Um, there's a lot of years behind the counter there, right, isn't there?

There sure is. Yeah. Um what do you think you've learned about what people are really looking for when it comes when they when they walk through your door? SPEAKER_01: I think people are looking for something familiar and they are looking to be seen and to have something that is consistent.

Where they know that they can always come in and get that cup of coffee or get that breakfast sandwich or one of our soups that we make, and that if they're in on a regular basis, we're likely going to recognize them and know their name. It's not just a faceless transaction, you know, it's a human interaction every time somebody comes in in the door, and that we do genuinely care about our customers and our people and our community. And I think that's what that's what brings people back.

SPEAKER_00: Has that shaped your strategy with the business as well, of how you run things and how you operate, of that consistency and that reliability? SPEAKER_01: I try to think about things a little bit more perhaps mindfully than strategically. Um, I try to make sure that we have decisions, we make decisions based on the needs of our locals and based on the needs of our tourists, because they are a little bit different uh dynamic. The tourists come in and they do enjoy, you know, the new things or the quaint Mon Pa shop uh kind of vibe, which I love.

But if I was to ever get rid of our egg salad sandwiches, there would be like a village upheaval. I'd be one of them. Yes. And so whenever I think about trying something new or changing something, I try to be very mindful about it because our local customer base likes that consistency and stability.

And so I try to be, yeah, very cautious about the changes that I the changes that I bring into the shop. SPEAKER_00: Yeah. Do you think people are looking for different things now than they were 15 years ago? Or have you felt that the thread really, maybe it's like avocado toast might be the thing, but the thread has still been the same the entire time?

SPEAKER_01: I feel like the thread has still been the same the entire time. It's just, it's not fancy. It's good old-fashioned, nice quality mon pa shop, homemade food. Uh, things that you would make for yourself, um, but maybe you can't just can't be bothered to, or it's it's too much work or time.

Um, so I think that ease for customers to be able to come in and purchase um things that that that they would make to serve their family. I always I say to my staff that when I'm training, if I'm making a sandwich, I was like, make this sandwich as though you were making it for yourself or you were making it for your best friend or your family member, you know, because that's that's that's who we're that's who we're serving. You know, I would never send a sandwich out or a food out that I wouldn't want to eat myself.

And so I think that's kind of a thread that runs amongst what we do. SPEAKER_00: Your superpower is connecting with people. And I think you that's a self-identified superpower as well as one that I think is village identified as well. And why do you think that connection matters so much, especially in small towns?

SPEAKER_01: I think ultimately it's a human need, you know, that connection. And it's hard while there's so much value to the the online space, right? There absolutely there absolutely is, but sometimes the pendulum swings too far in one direction and and sometimes it needs to come back in the other. And I feel like people are craving human connection, especially perhaps since the pandemic, that's become a little bit more awareness about connecting with other people when that was taken away from us.

So I think when I was in sales, connecting with people and building relationships was very natural and easy for me. And I'm I'm very grateful for that. And it's definitely a skill set that translates well into what we're doing now at the coffee shop and being being in the community. But I think, yeah, commute community and connecting is such a human need.

And I think it's important to have a place where you can get that. SPEAKER_00: Yeah. I think it's interesting just when you're talking about the online space, because this podcast came because of my own exploration of coming, being in line online so heavily in my career and then living in the village and seeing such a difference between interaction and the way things are done, and questioning whether are we like the best things are actually maybe things that are right in front of us, right?

And that day-to-day simplicity of stopping at front of the post office, like you and I had a conversation about the other day, just hi, you're in we about nothing. We just had a chat because we were both in front of the post office. And those little moments, right? Even imagine the sh the coffee shop where people it might be five minutes, but it might be one of the most important five minutes of their day.

I agree. SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I absolutely agree. I think so much um we've gotten into sort of the fast, the fast-paced life, right? Where we, you know what, we do all the things, we're running from one place to another, where families are driving kids to one event and they're barely even sitting down and having a conversation and sharing a meal anymore.

So I I think that really there's so much value uh to that, to taking those few minutes, talking to somebody, asking how their day was, listening to them, and um, you know, giving a little brightness to their to their day. SPEAKER_00: Yeah, absolutely. You've also said though that you've had to learn how to be Switzerland because running such, and there's a very visible business that you have, and you have a very visible role within it as well. And I'm wondering what have you learned about creating a space where people with different opinions and different backgrounds and experiences all feel welcome in one space.

SPEAKER_01: We try our absolute best to make sure that everybody everybody feels welcome. And I had mentioned sometimes it's shop-wide conversations that happen with a number of individuals. And uh as as we know, everyone has their own opinion. And you know, there's a lot of division divisiveness, divisiveness, I guess, in a lot of division in the world, and so people will be there with different opinions.

So I I make a point of being very neutral. Uh, I think that's important so that everybody does feel welcome. However, you know, there are times where there's heated conversations, and I just want everyone to feel comfortable there. And so every now and then it's politely asking, like, you know what?

I appreciate you guys are having this conversation. It's getting a little heated. Perhaps better to take it somewhere else. You know, this is a safe space.

Everybody deserves to feel safe here and feel welcome, and that's that's a priority for sure. SPEAKER_00: Um have you learned anything about people through trying to create a space like that? Are there things that have surprised you in positive ways when you are creating a place where everybody has a seat? SPEAKER_01: I do actually uh people people always surprise me, you know.

There is uh some sometimes you wouldn't expect something from one person and then all of a sudden they show up. So, for example, 10 days before I took ownership of the coffee shop, I actually fell off my horse and broke my leg and had surgery. So the beginning was a little bit interesting because I wasn't able to be in the shop in the capacity that I I wanted to as an as a new owner. And there is this one uh local, his name is Paul.

He was a biker guy, big, tall, a little rough around the edges, bald head. And I wasn't able to drive. And so sometimes I needed to run errands for the coffee shop. And he's like, I'll drive you.

I'll drive you. We can go here. So he would drive me into town, drop me off at the door, get me in the buggy, the electric buggy to push around. He would push a cart so that I could go get all my shopping.

He would go and get the car, help me load up. And so he never underestimated me. Um you know, people and how they'll how they'll show up for you and even how they'll show up for other members of the community. We've had other locals who have had to go into Ottawa every day for treatments or chemotherapy or dialysis.

And we've had times where we've put up a sign-up sheet on the on the community chalkboard, the cork board, to be like, hey, can you sign up to drive so-and-so uh to Ottawa for treatment on this day? Here's the time slots, and they were always full, you know, just from other community members that would would come together and see that need and know the person, and they had the time available. So really coming together as all of the different resources in the community and how that can work together to make us all stronger.

SPEAKER_00: Yeah. I think it's something that you said to me once really struck me where you said nobody moves to a small town to be invisible. Right? And I think there's there's something very deep in that.

SPEAKER_01: Absolutely. I I I definitely believe that's wholeheartedly. Um, it's really easy to be anonymous when you're in a big city. You can fall through the cracks, people cannot notice.

But some of our seniors, for instance, that come in every day. If I don't see them for two days, I'm making a phone call trying to find out are they okay? Did something happen? Do we need to um do anything to follow up with this?

Um, I even have phone numbers of some of our family members of seniors in our community too. Just if they don't check in, then then I can I can follow up with that. So I think, you know, and being in a small town, I've had customers say, Oh, well, everybody knows your business. Okay, well, if you ever need them, they know your business.

And they're the first ones to to step up and and help. And I've never seen anything like, you know, the way this community rallies around its people when they're in a state of time of need. Um, it's really, it's really remarkable. SPEAKER_00: It is, it is.

I think small towns are also kind of constantly in that, trying to balance growth and change and also preserving what makes them, makes them so special. And I think Merrickville very much is a we live that every day where we're trying to find what's that path, right? Between new, old, where's our lane within it? I'm curious what changes you've seen in the village and um what are some of the things that you hope to never see change?

SPEAKER_01: There's definitely been a lot of changes in the 15 years that I've I've been here. Uh, some new housing, new development, uh, new businesses, you know, come and come and go. I mean, there's always that that ebb and flow and the natural turnover, you know, that occurs in a small town. But I think, I think being here, and I feel like this is perhaps something that happens in other small towns as well, where you have a smaller tax base.

And so it's difficult, more difficult to have the resources available that everybody would like, you know, to really meet our needs. We don't have any industry here. Um, so it makes our tax space a lot smaller and and so reliant on residential and then the smaller commercial establishments uh that we have. So I understand, you know, the need for perhaps some some development, some new growth where there is opportunity for that.

But I think being mindful of what makes your small town their values and what makes it special and trying to protect that. So for us, I believe the heritage nature, you know, the Rideau Canal, um, being able to not modernize everything, um, being able to respect the historic buildings that we have and to be able to maintain them in in good repair. I think those are all things that are, I hope stay. And we don't we don't lose sight of that to be ultra modern, you know, respect the history that we have.

But it does need to be balanced with with things that that make sense and welcoming, you know, some new members in into our commun into our community as well so that they can benefit from that. Since I've been here, I've noticed a more influx of more younger families, you know, and younger, you know, kids growing up here. And I just I love that that the kids can be in our community where they they know, you know, each other. They can ride their bikes, they can go to the candy store, they can come into the come into the shop and get a cookie and a chocolate milk, you know, and and that it's all gonna be okay, right?

And I think I I hope that's something that never changes as well. SPEAKER_00: Yeah. I I appreciate that. I our our daughter, you are a regular conversation in the house because every week there's something where we're like, where do you want to do?

What do you want to do? I want to go to the bean. We have bean. That's and it's just you've become part of our our traditions and our we want to do something as a family, we want to go for a walk, that's where we go.

We want to treat, that's where we go. We love that. Yeah, thank you. We love that you're there.

Speaking of traditions, um, you have a tradition of serving Christmas breakfast as well. And I really love this. And I'm wondering if you can talk a bit about how the story or this came to be, the tradition came to be. SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.

I I wish I knew the year. I think that we've been doing this since the beginning, uh, if I think about it. But uh we've always done open for breakfast on Christmas Day. Now, it's not something that I expect my staff to work, it's the family, it's our family that that works on that day.

But we usually welcome about 45 to 50 people in for breakfast on on Christmas morning, people who have made it part of their annual traditions, uh, families who have driven from Ottawa to meet up with family members at the coffee shop. You know, for me, it's like the biggest, there's no small children in in our family. So it's like the biggest best thing that I can do on Christmas morning is to wake up, you know, dress like a Christmas elf, wear my Santa hat, and and serve our community.

Where I don't think there's a customer that comes in that doesn't get a Christmas hug and um, you know, share Christmas good Christmas wishes. And it's if you were to ask me what my favorite day to work is, I will always tell you it's Christmas, it's Christmas day. Yeah, it brings me so much, so much joy. It fills my cup being able to be there to be with our community.

And you even kept that tradition alive during the pandemic. SPEAKER_00: We did. SPEAKER_01: We did. We we were able to open for indoor dining with uh restrictions.

And so we set up four tables and did reservations every 15 minutes uh that we could rotate through those four tables. Um, and then the next day we turned back to takeout. But we wanted to make sure that we still had that place uh where we could um still provide that that service and that need for our community. I think one Christmas story that really resonates with me was this older gentleman in town, Ernie, that didn't really have uh any family.

And he used to come in in the morning and he would always just be so gruff every day. Good morning, Ernie. What can I get for you today? Dark.

I'm like, okay, dark coffee. Yeah, great, have a good day. And I remember with him one time, I thought he responded with, have a good day too. And I thought, oh my gosh, I won.

I broke through. It's it was a moment, and I was so happy. And he was one gentleman that would come in every Christmas morning while he was alive. He's a few passed away a number of years ago now, but he would come in and he would be dressed up in a nice button-down shirt and nice pair of khaki pants, and he would sit there and have breakfast on his own, but within a restaurant full of people, so he wasn't alone on Christmas Day.

And I don't even know if he would have otherwise seen any other people um on Christmas Day. And so I always felt that we needed to be there for people like him as well, that there was a place um there with that there was a place to come. Now, there is other, you know, somewhere else in the village that does, you know, provide, you know, a place for people to gather for a meal. Um, you know, we're not we're not the only ones.

There are other wonderful businesses, you know, in our community, and it really takes all of us to to bring it together. But, you know, that first thing in the morning, I'm I'm I'm happy to be there on Christmas morning for our people. SPEAKER_00: It's amazing. I want to think about this question.

When people talk about the village bean, what do you hope they're saying about what you've built? SPEAKER_01: Wow, I hope that they are saying that uh to if they're looking for like a nice light lunch or a nice breakfast, they can come to the village bean. They're gonna get great coffee, they're gonna get home cooked food, they're gonna have a great, a great experience. You know, I hope that people really feel part of our community, even if they're just stopping by for the day by coming in and and sitting and having a coffee and having a bite to eat.

Yeah, I hope that they get a glimpse into what it is to be uh in Merrickville. SPEAKER_00: And I'm curious if you look back at the last 15 years as well, what has this community given to you that you never expected when you first bought the business? SPEAKER_01: I feel like uh being at the Village Bean has really uh given me a different sense of purpose. Um, you know, to be able to be here and connect with people and connect with our community and connect with our visitors and to be able to walk down the street and it takes me twice as long to get anywhere because you know, you're always running into people, you're always running into your new friends, you know.

I I probably feel like I have far more friends now or acquaintance friends than than I I ever had before because I feel so well integrated um into the community. Yeah. So yeah, it's really I think it's really given me a sense of purpose. SPEAKER_00: I think it's beautiful.

Um, so someone who's listening to this conversation right now, and whether they live in a small town or in a city, because we have a lot of city people listening as well. We love you too. SPEAKER_01: Absolutely. We do.

SPEAKER_00: Um, what do you hope that they'll take away from the role that places like the village being play in our lives? SPEAKER_01: I think that it's more than it's more than the coffee, it's more than what you're what you have to sell. It's about the experience, it's about how you make people feel, if people feel seen and if people feel comfortable and and want to and want to return and make you part of their daily routine, you know, that it's a comfortable, uh, a comfortable place for them.

I think it's more about how how you make people feel than what you're selling. SPEAKER_00: You do it very well, Robin. Thank you. Thank you so much for joining me for this conversation.

I think this really was a beautiful, beautiful conversation. And I I think we the importance of what you're building as well is such a great example of what we can't lose in community. So thank you for being part of this. I am honored.

Thank you so much. As I sat with this conversation afterwards, I found myself thinking about how often we measure the success of a business by the things that are easiest to count revenue, customers, growth. But the longer I spend talking to business owners in communities like Merrickville, the more I find myself wondering if we're sometimes measuring the wrong things. Because what struck me most about Robin's story is that the village bean has become valuable for reasons that have very little to do with coffee.

It's become part of people's routines, part of their relationships, part of the experience of living in this community. And while that may not show up on a balance sheet, it might be one of the most powerful forms of value a business can create. The businesses that seem to leave the deepest mark on a community are rarely the ones that simply provide a product or a service. They're the ones that create a place where people want to return, where they feel welcome, where they feel connected.

And over time, those businesses stop being places we visit and start becoming places that feel like they belong to all of us. Anyway, just something to noodle on until the next time we talk. Thanks for listening to Small Town Stories. If you've enjoyed today's conversation, make sure you're following the show wherever you listen to podcasts.

And if you haven't done so yet, I'd be really grateful if you left a rating and review. It really helps more people discover the show. You can follow along on Instagram at the Small Town Stories Podcast and visit us online at the Small Town Stories Podcast.com.

All right, I'll see you next Thursday for another conversation about the business behind Main Street.