Langford on track for banner year for new business applications

Award-winning Sheringham Distillery opened its doors in Langford on Tuesday.

Jason MacIsaac and his wife Alayne started the business in 2015 from the couple's home in Shirley, B.C. They then moved the business to Sooke three years later.

Now the plan is to make the 9,000-square-foot building in Langford the distillery's forever home.

“We’re really happy to be here,” said MacIsaac. “We’ve been welcomed by the municipality, by the community and it’s a great place to do business.”

Another newcomer to the community is Long & McQuade. For a business focusing on musical instrument sales, rentals and lessons, Langford sounded like a great opportunity.

“The population boom that has happened out here on the West Shore,” said store manager Nicholas Sieber. “With the new high schools going in and all the schools in the rental business that can happen in September, it just seemed logical to be able to service more of the community out here, instead of just in Victoria.”

Langford is on track this year to outpace the number of business licence applications it has received over the past two years. In 2021, the city received 482 business licence applications. In 2022, there were 454.

The city has already received 127 this year, which is on pace to break the 500 mark.

“Their economic development people actually contacted us a couple of years ago to try to encourage us to come out, so that made a big difference,” said Calen McNeil, cofounder of Big Wheel Burger.

Big Wheel Burger recently opened its fifth location, now in Langford. McNeil says Langford made the move easy.

“Learning that you just have to apply for a business licence once was a huge encouragement for us,” said McNeil.

A building permit was granted in two weeks. It only took six weeks to complete the renovations to get the doors open and so far business is good.

“This is our busiest store,” said McNeil. “Within a week it’s already eclipsed all our other stores.”