When Christina Kosinec was having a hard time coordinating her work life with her kid’s demanding sports schedules, she did something counter-intuitive. She bought a business.
“It was totally a mom decision, a family decision, just to make my family work better,” says Kosinec of her bold move to purchase The Red Dresser consignment store in Castlegar.
Originally from Saskatchewan, Kosinec married a Kootenay guy and the family returned to his roots in the fall of 2018. Now, she has joined the ranks of those who absolutely love living in the Kootenays, but she was struggling maintaining the work-life balance she desired.
Kosinec was commuting daily to Nelson for a stressful job that left her drained at the end of the day. Getting time off was difficult and the drive made it hard to get home in time to take her six- and eight-year-old boys to sports practices and games.
“I was stressed all of the time,” she says. “I wanted to work for myself, I was tired of answering to a boss.”
Now, she is home more often and can set her own hours based around her family’s needs.
Her work day also has a noticeably different vibe.
“This has been amazing,” says Kosinec. “The people are always happy when they come in here and they are even happier when they find something that works for them.”
Kosinec is making a few changes around the store including introducing men’s clothing to the inventory.
She also hosts a Facebook Live on Saturdays at 10 a.m. called Bargain Hunting with the Red Dresser. The video highlights what’s available in the store and people are encouraged to share what they are looking for and Kosinec will offer up selections from her inventory that would fill the requests.
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betsy.kline@castlegarnews.com
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