Trinity Romance Shop first opened its doors in Downtown Squamish almost five years ago, and hasn’t looked back since.  An “adult novelty boutique” specializing in phthalate (pronounced thal-ate) free toys and romantic accessories has grasped the leading edge of the industry, and is one of only two retail stores in Canada to deliver strictly phthalate-free toys to the marketplace.  Health combined with a women-friendly, open and communicative atmosphere have been the pillars of Trinity Romance Shop’s success in Squamish.

When the store first opened its doors in 2004 the Downtown was in what some would call recessionary times.  Many businesses were closing or had closed their doors, and spaces weren’t filling up very quickly.  Perhaps not the ideal time or place for a small business startup, but the owner of the store Eric Armour, a long time Squamish resident, had his ear to the ground and knew times were changing.  With outside factors such as the real estate boom, inherent population shift, and subsequent building boom that is currently occurring, there really was no time like the present to wet one’s ears in the world of business.  Those factors built a nice launching pad.  It was that launching pad combined with strong fundamentals and heavy community involvement that provided the roots of something special.

With a small budget Eric created a beautiful space, albeit with minimal stock.  What was key though was a strong belief in a concept of delivering the most health conscious choices to the consumer in an open and informative atmosphere.  It was this approach that was paramount in not only sustaining the business in a tight market, but growing it as well.  

Almost five years later Trinity Romance Shop has branched its revenue streams in the home party market in Vancouver, Squamish, and Whistler, and has built an e-commerce site to match the company image that is starting to establish some solid momentum.  Constant investment in an expanding inventory has also paid off, with customers enjoying a broader selection of goods all of the time.  

Trinity Romance Shop isn’t the only one seeing increased business these days.  Squamish’s Downtown has also begun flourishing once again.  New eclectic businesses and boutiques are opening regularly, and the retail mix is getting better and better, which only helps the performance of the Downtown businesses as a whole.  

Would Armour have done things differently if he could go back and do it again?  Of course, that’s why they say hindsight is 20/20.  Is he happy with where they are?  Absolutely, and in the words of The Beatles “It's getting better, a little better all the time.”