A ribbon cutting ceremony was held for the latest new business to open in North Perth Wednesday.
Listowel Hypnosis opened their storefront on Wallace Avenue in downtown Listowel, and owner Tamara Szwedo says they use hypnosis techniques to help people in different ways.
"For instance, weight loss, quitting smoking, stress. Stress is an umbrella of a bunch of things. It could be fears, sleeping, nail-biting, confidence, public speaking. There's a huge amount of different areas it can help with."
Szwedo says they chose Listowel for their business location because of the rapidly growing community and the great opportunity in the area for new clients.
"So we found this great spot in downtown Listowel, decided to get going and the interest here has been phenomenal. As soon as the sign went up we got calls and emails, so I knew it was something people have been looking for here, and it's been great."
Szwedo notes her family recently moved to Bluevale and thought Listowel looked like a great community to invest in and open a new business in.
That is a point of pride for North Perth Mayor Todd Kasenberg, who was in attendance for the opening to offer words of welcome.
Kasenberg says the opening of yet another new business is a great sign of how booming the local economic landscape is in terms of attracting new business to the area, which has grown just as fast as the town itself recently.
"So it's a pleasure to be at a state where virtually every business space is occupied. It's also a challenge to be in that state of course, because we have others who want to enter and people who are feeling entrepreneurial and it's getting tougher and tougher now to offer them spaces."
Tackling those challenges is something council considers regularly, Kasenberg says, in terms of continuing to find ways to allow more economic development to match the growth in population in and around Listowel and the entire municipality.
He adds Listowel is one of the fastest growing communities in all of Midwestern Ontario, which is a great thing to be a part of.
"You know, we have those challenges ahead of council, continuing to shepherd the matter of economic development and growth in the retail sector, in particular and the healthcare professional sector, as well."
Owner Tamara Szwedo stands in front of her new business, Listowel Hypnosis, prior to a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the grand opening in downtown Listowel. September 15th, 2021 (Photo by Ryan Drury)