In high school, Megan Franklin says she was the type of person that always saw herself leaving Winkler. In fact, Megan did leave her home city for a period of time after graduation but chose to come back.
And now, a little more than two years after her return to Winkler and opening Frank + Olive, a wellness collective that's home to multiple small business owners, Megan was invited to speak to the business community during the Winkler and District Chamber of Commerce's Small Business Luncheon.
The event was held at the Days Inn and Conference Centre on Thursday.
“I have never felt more at home in Winkler than I would say I do now. I feel like now that I've had the ability to kind of connect with people in a different way and connect with people who have similar viewpoints as I do on things. Instead of feeling very isolated and alone in this community, I feel like we have built up the community to be bigger and better than it ever was. And so, yeah, like I'm happy to be back and I hope that we can stick around for a while and help to continue to promote Winkler and promote growth.”
Megan explained the idea behind the business was to offer a place where a person could come grow their own business and make decisions for themselves and their clients.
"There's four of us right now who call Frank + Olive home," said Megan. "We provide a lot of different types of beauty and Wellness services, including facials, nails, eyebrows, permanent makeup, a little bit of everything...
Megan says it's been really cool to open a business and then see where it can go. Opening just prior to the first lockdown of the pandemic, Megan says she never imagined they'd be able to connect with the community the way they have over the past two years.
“We opened March 1st, 2020. So, we've had a bit of an interesting ride opening a business and then being shut down two weeks later due to a global pandemic. But you know that was in itself a learning experience. And so, everything that I endured and went through over those last two years has pushed me forward and allowed me to see things that our community was lacking. And so Frank + Olive started as a place to come and get services. Frank + Olive has ended up as a way to provide community outreach, to reach out to people who need a little bit more support. To be able to just be a friendly face for people who might not necessarily have that in other places. So yeah, I feel like it's become a little bit more of a vessel for more than it was designed to be. But, we're happy to be here.”
Central Station, the 2022 P.W. Enns Award recipient for 'nonprofit' organization was also highlighted during Thursday's luncheon.