In January, only about a month after the café reopened, Guérin was worried that she may not be able to continue. Running her own café had been her dream, and the thought of losing it so soon was quite upsetting. Bruce Barr was visiting the café one day and asked her how things were going. Guérin said that at the time she was a little confused, as Barr “was asking me questions about how many people needed to come so I could stay open. I thought, ‘This man must just want to know what’s going on!’”
That night, Barr (who runs the Brysonville Schoolhouse Revisited events) made a Facebook post from the Schoolhouse page, asking people from the community to show their support and buy coffee from the Bella Bistro that day. The post just “blew up,” getting over 150 shares and over 9000 views.
“It was pretty impressive to see. I’ve been running a show on Facebook for two years, and I’ve never had 9000 hits. That’s above and beyond anything I have ever seen,” explains Barr.
Guérin was extremely grateful for the boost. She says she was “really surprised. I saw the post at night and was wondering what it was. Bruce inspired me.” The next day, the Valley showed up for one of its own. Guérin explains that there were “lineups of people who had seen the post. They all came to support me and gave me supportive messages.” It meant the world to her, and it pushed her to keep the café open. “The whole day I had tears in my eyes,” she says.
Barr is an enthusiastic supporter of local enterprise because, as he says, “You’re helping your neighbours and friends.” He states that there are many great businesses in the Valley, and showing support is simple and goes a long way. “All Isabelle needed was for 40 people to come and get a coffee. And that’s doable! So, I’m glad I could help her.”
Experiencing the kindness of the Valley and the power of social media has changed the fate of the café – and rejuvenated Guérin’s excitement about it. She has big plans. For now, she is keeping up with what the previous owners of the café had been serving before her takeover: sandwiches, wraps, salads, coffees, etc. But once things are a little more stable, and she’s able to hire an employee, she’s hoping to offer more hot dishes and prepared meals – “things like that, that weren’t here before, so that I can attract more people,” she says.
The power of social media really helped give the Bella Bistro a push, but Guérin’s isn’t the only new restaurant in the area. Recently, both a sushi and pizza place have opened nearby, among others. Barr emphasizes that it’s difficult to know what’s going on right now because of the pandemic. “You’re not going out to eat, and no one else is, and you’re not meeting up with people.” He goes on to suggest that a pandemic gives the best excuse to support local business, because “It would be a good thing to close the big stores and stay in your area. You shouldn’t have to go four towns over to get your milk and cheese.”
Guérin adds that we need local businesses to stick around, “Otherwise there would be no life in the town, and nothing would be left.”