Westboro Village’s well-deserved reputation as a delightful community in which to live and work has been enhanced by the presence of many locally owned businesses. They are assisted by the Westboro Village Business Improvement Area, whose staff are dedicated to helping local entrepreneurs grow and thrive.
Here are three successful female-owned businesses who have chosen Westboro Village to build or expand their businesses. Shilhav Mayo had a dream, after working for 10 years in big chain bookstores, of starting her own local bookstore. That dream came to fruition in October 2023 when she opened Westboro Books in the heart of Westboro Village.
Mayo knew it was a special location because “Westboro is a very family oriented, tight-knit community, that likes to support local businesses,” she says. “And I wanted to bring something a little different. I had this dream of a space that invites the community in to enjoy every type of book.”
Westboro Books carries a wide range of reading, including best-sellers, a large selection of children’s books, and also collections with additional literary and philosophical value.
Westboro Books is also very big on promoting local authors. “We have a very large local author section, and have held events to support the launch of local author books. The community is happy to support them,” says Mayo.
Mayo and her employee, Amy Oldfield, also hold community based events, including writing workshops and book clubs. “We’re constantly working on new ideas to attract the community in,” she says.Annie Létourneau and her husband Keir Menzies are proud owners of The Ten Spot, which offers a comprehensive set of beauty services in Westboro Village.
Létourneau, who previously worked at Bell Canada as a business analyst, says working in the beauty industry and making people feel good about their appearance, appealed to her from a very young age. “So when the opportunity came up, I said, ‘I’m ready for this.’”
Létourneau and Menzies purchased the Ten Spot’s Westboro location in 2024. They also own franchises in the Glebe, Barrhaven and Kanata, employing about 10 women at each location.
The Ten Spot provides services for nails, laser hair removal, waxing hair removal, and brow wax and lash tint. “We do the basic manicure, pedicure, and also apply builder gel. We offer a range of facials, including peels and dermaplaning,” Létourneau elaborates.
Létourneau calls Westboro Village “a very special spot” to run a business. “It’s visually appealing, the shops are wonderfully diverse, and there’s an array that I adore. Additionally, we have a varied clientele, including students, numerous families, and retirees who visit us,” she says.
When Juliana Graf opened Heartbreakers Pizza, along with her husband Andrew Chatham and sister-in-law Lizzie Chatham in early March 2020, little did they know that the COVID-19 pandemic was just days from causing a total shutdown.
“Talk about survival mode. It was very scary and tough. But it also challenged us to really focus on what we were doing and get good very quickly. I think we were incredibly lucky that we had pizza so that we were able to switch to take out easily,” recalls Graf.
Prior to opening Heartbreakers, which now has 25 employees, Graf and her husband ran a bakery in Perth for five years. They are planning to open a second location in Westboro later this year.
Graf says Westboro has “a lovely mix” of well established and new businesses that are very well maintained.
“We really value the product that we’re making, and are always trying to be better. We feel that the ingredients we use, and our good quality service and kindness sets us apart,” says Graf, who takes pride in using Canadian products.
As a community venture, Heartbreakers works with a local business owner to design a new pizza, then donate a month’s worth of proceeds from that to a local charity.
Shilhav, Annie and Juliana are three of the many female leaders in Westboro Village that make it the cozy and thriving neighbourhood its residents and visitors love. The Westboro Village BIA is proud to share that more than 40% of businesses in the area are women-owned and women-led and cross a variety of sectors. Visit westborovillage.com for more.
