Dear Tim Hortons,
It’s -35 with the wind chill as I am writing this evening, and guess what I am sipping on, while I write? A hot cup of quality coffee from the local coffee shop, and let me tell you that the taste of good strong coffee doesn't get any better than this. I'm a recent transplant to this community, coming from the 'big city' with a Timmies on every corner ... and I like our local brews a lot.
Needless to say, we don't need you here in Lac La Biche County.
I mean, why should I go out and struggle to make my way through the snow and get the car started (if it decides to start) and wait for half an hour just to warm it up, so I could just get a cup of Timmies? Not to mention the fact that the nearest one is about an hour away.
Since, you have rejected the idea of opening a store in our region, there has been grand openings, and re-openings of coffee shops and restaurants, and let me tell you this... they are doing great!
How so? you might ask. Well, the answer to that is because unlike you, they didn't only measure their customers with a scale of quantity—population and highway traffic— while starting their businesses, they just felt that this great bustling community needed one and started their venture, and by the looks of it, they were not wrong for a single second. It's that way for any number of business ventures. We are open for business whether you want to sell coffee, clothes, cars or diapers — from brews to poos, you could say.
How could they be wrong? People from this locality— including myself— consider our region a business hub to the surrounding towns', First nations' and Metis settlements’ populations. Believe it or not, but folks from these surrounding localities make a trip here at least once a day if not more. Let alone the fact that Lac La Biche County is not only the gateway to north with two major highways going through town, but is also home to around ten thousand residents.
Considering the above mentioned facts, its fair to say that a business like Tim Hortons can not only work but also match the sales of some of the busiest locations in bigger cities. So, with that being said, we know our community is ready for more development, and if I'm still sounding like I'm missing a Timmies, it's probably just the caffeine talking.
Regards,
Jalal Yousafzai
PS I miss you