On the surface, a hot dog vendor, a restaurateur and a cobbler might not appear to have much in common, but three business owners in Langford's Westshore Town Centre, who have amassed almost 120 years of trade between them, definitely have one thing in common: community support.
First opened in 1984, the Langford mall has been home to fast-food joint Orange Julius, family restaurant Romeo’s, and shoe repair store Quality Cobbler – that's too many hot dogs, pizzas and shoe repairs to count.
"We keep each other going," says Mark Kinnersley, the familiar face behind Orange Julius.
Throughout the decades, the trio have seen many changes, none more so than the expansion of the city, bringing with it an influx of newcomers calling Langford home.
“I used to know everybody,” said Chet Robert, owner of Quality Cobbler. “Now it's like every second person, I've never seen them before.”
“I’ve met a lot of people,” adds Kinnersley. “I’ve seen people come and go – people’s lives are constantly changing, but I'm still here making everybody happy.”
But while the city has grown in size, so has Langford's community spirit, something the three business owners are thankful for.
"We would not be here without them," said Nick Kamaretsos, owner of Romeo's. "We have been at the heart of the community for decades, we could not have done this without them."
The best hot dogs in Greater Victoria
When Kinnersley took over Orange Julius in 1986, working alongside him was his five-year-old daughter Brittany, one of three daughters, who soon proved her worth behind the cash register.
“Customers were shocked,” said Kinnersley. “And I was shocked too, because she could balance the till – I had teenagers working for me that couldn’t do that.”
Now adults, Kinnersley’s three daughters have moved on to their own careers, but he still has his faithful customers to keep him company at the mall.
“It's like having a family beyond family,” he says. “I have so many loyal customers that have been with me throughout the years – people that worked here in the '80s, they’re now grandmothers with grandkids.”
But watching the Langford community grow old before his eyes doesn’t make Kinnersley feel his age, it helps him to feel young at heart.
“Especially the kids I meet every day,” he says. “Helping to bring a smile to their faces, it’s quite the experience.”
Alongside the classic Orange Julius drink, Kinnersley serves up thousands of “perfect” hot dogs a year, with some customers travelling for up to 90 minutes across Greater Victoria to satisfy their craving.
“They can get a hot dog anywhere, but not as good as mine,” he said.
“Truck drivers from the States, they'll drop in anytime they're in the neighbourhood and they'll say I've got the best hot dogs on their entire route, and that includes the States,” Kinnersley says proudly.
And he hopes to keep slinging his famous wieners for the next 10 years, to mark a half-century at Westshore Town Centre.
“As long as I’m enjoying it and I have my health, I'll still be here” he says. “But everything is going in the right direction.”
Full bellies and secret recipes
The secret to Romeo’s longevity at Westshore Town Centre?
“Nobody leaves hungry,” says Kamaretsos. “I make sure of that.”
Quality ingredients and a secret recipe for their pizza sauce, have also helped the family restaurant to thrive and survive while competing against a growing number of competitors, says the restaurateur.
But it’s customer and staff loyalty which Kamaretsos appreciates the most.
“That’s what keeps us going,” he says. “I have customers now that worked here during high school – their kids work here now."
He estimates some staff members have been working at Romeo’s for over 30 years, with one only taking time off to have children.
“She started here as a teenager,” said Kamaretsos. “Four kids later, she’s still working at Romeo’s.”
As well as 40 years at Westshore Town Centre, Romeo’s is also celebrating 50 years of business on Vancouver Island.
The first branch was opened by the Mavrikos brothers, Dimitri, Steve and George, in downtown Victoria in the summer of 1974. Kamaretsos started working for the restaurant in 1984 when the Langford branch opened. He and his brother bought the business from the Mavrikos trio in 1989.
“We're still running and we'll continue to keep going,” said Kamaretsos, who at the age of 68, is still working in the kitchen making pizzas.
And with his son, who has worked at the restaurant since the age of 12, now managing the business, Kamaretsos hopes Romeo’s will stick around to celebrate its 50th anniversary at Westshore Town Centre.
“I don't think they're gonna kick me out after 40 years – I always pay my rent,” jokes Kamaretsos.
From clown shoes to strippers
For Robert, his career as a cobbler began in his late teens, learning the trade from a German craftsman at Tillicum Mall.
Once armed with the shoe repair skills he needed, he started work at the West Shore cobblers in 1985, later buying the business and making it his own in August 1986.
“It feels great,” said Robert about his time in the mall. “I tell my customers this all the time – I love my job more than I did on day one. I’m happy to be here.”
As well as having a front-row seat to the continuing development of Langford across the decades, he has also witnessed a sharp decline in the number of cobblers in operation – he estimates going from 30 down to three in Greater Victoria.
“I've gone from being the youngest guy in the business, to the oldest,” he says. “And I’ve still got another 10 years. I'll hit 50 years here and that'll be enough.”
As to why cobblers are a dying breed, Robert lays the blame firmly on disposable footwear.
“They make shoes now so you wear them for six months, throw them in the garbage and then hopefully get another $100 out of you for another pair,” he said.
But being one of very few cobblers left does have its perks for Robert, customers travel from all corners of the Island to utilize his services. Some travel as far as mainland B.C., Ontario and some even cross international waters.
“I got people coming from England,” said Robert. “It’s people that have lived here before or have family here and they know about me.
“I’ve built up a very loyal following, which is great, and I’m very grateful for that.”
Asked what has been the strangest repair he has done, Robert reels off a list of footwear, including two-foot-long clown shoes.
“They need resoling just like everybody does, because clowns wear the heck out of those things,” he says.
“Stripper shoes too, I used to do those a lot back in the day. Not so much these days, we don't have many strippers left in Victoria.”
