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Opening a store in Steinbach isn’t easy and it’s definitely a huge challenge for a newcomer. My family arrived in Canada on July 6^th, 2023. My store has been open in Steinbach for six months.

Steinbach is a very good place for me. Firstly, it’s not far away from the city, and it’s very small so the commute time is short, and I can save energy. Secondly, it’s much safer than the city. I wanted to open a shop that sells cute and interesting things and I hoped everyone who came into my store would feel happiness, and the person who receives the gifts would also feel happiness. So, I named the store “Gifts of Happiness”. It is a new style gift store. Following my research, I found out that there are no similar gift shops in Steinbach. Therefore, I decided to move my family to Steinbach and rent the place.

The preparation work was very cumbersome. Take buying shelves for example. I found a shop that sold shelves. The first time I didn’t enter because it was closed on Sunday. The second time I couldn’t find the entrance and I couldn’t understand the phone system. For a newcomer, very simple tasks are hard. After comparing other shops’ shelves, I decided to order them online. New style shelves bring a new shopping experience. I spent five months preparing and was ready to open my shop.

I faced a lot of problems. Actually, I’m still solving problem every day. I transported 187 packages, installed shelves and stocked them. I ordered three kinds of shelves, but I only received one kind. Time is money. Knowing I could not wait any longer, I used boxes as shelves. Besides these challenges, I had to check the quantity of the goods. Most of the time they are right, but sometimes the quantities are wrong, and I have to communicate with the manufacturer.

Hiring a suitable person is also an important task. I had HR experience before, so I understood how to choose a good employee. But Canada is a completely different culture, so I had to learn the process. One day, a lady came into my shop and said she would help me with advertising. She did not want to accept money and offered to volunteer. I was skeptical, but after a few days some customers entered my shop and said they saw an advertisement on Facebook. I immediately hired the lady because she was very helpful.

Everyday my life seems to open a blind box. I don’t know what’s inside or whether the surprise will be good or bad. Most of the time I meet very nice people, but sometimes the people are challenging. I keep reminding myself that life goes on. Maybe one day I can write a book called The People and Things in Gifts of Happiness.

– Written by Zhang Xiaodan (Rachel)