VANCOUVER -- This year has been one of challenges, so it’s no wonder many people are starting the festive season early.
In mid-November, Christmas decorations are in almost every neighbourhood across Metro Vancouver and a Richmond-based company that specializes in putting up lights is getting so much business, it’s looking for more workers.
Daniel Cowan is the owner of Festilight. Every year they put together festive lighting installations at both commercial and residential locations.
He says one side of the business has significantly dropped off in the last few months, as a number of shopping centres are going without decorations. They’re also not decorating any hotels and “the restaurants have gone pretty quiet as well.”
But the residential side is booming with a 40 per cent increase in clients.
“I’ve been in this 11 years and this is by far the most demand we’ve ever seen,” Cowan said. “The phone hasn’t stopped ringing.”
The demand also started earlier. Cowan says this year the lights started turning on right after Halloween, whereas people often wait until later in the month.
Because of the spike in business, Cowan needs more workers. He’s looking for “anybody who’s great and safe on ladders, hard workers who can handle working in some pretty wet cold conditions and obviously a lot of attention to detail.”
