Making It Work On The Coast | S1 E7 “Peaceful Village Living With Lou”
Location: Roberts Creek
Outdoor: Henderson Beach
Social Recco: Mike’s Ice Cream
Potlucks, bonfires, beach strolls, and hikes followed by yummy ice cream. All this and more are what make life on the Sunshine Coast so unique.
It’s just this kind of quiet village living that drew Lou Lynn to the Sunshine Coast’s quaint Roberts Creek community. She wanted to say goodbye to the hustle and bustle of East Vancouver, and find somewhere she could build her tribe while finding solace in nature.
Roberts Creek is a tiny village tucked between Gibsons and Sechelt. With several delicious restaurants, a General Store, and plenty of art studios and galleries, the community is seen as somewhat of a cultural hub for the Sunshine Coast. It’s only fitting that Lou was drawn to Roberts Creek, which is similar to the small village her parents live in.
A self-professed mompreneur, originally hailing from England, Lou has always been resourceful. With two young children (Evie, 9, and Ezra, 12), she has always had multiple side hustles on the go. Teaching yoga, selling essential oils and aromatherapy, and doing freelance graphic design are just a few of her businesses.
While Lou had her eye on rural living for some time, it was her friends moving here that tipped the scales and inspired her to move her young family over a few years earlier than expected.
“I wanted to be somewhere where I could hear nothing: no Skytrain whizzing past my window,” she says. “I [wanted to be somewhere] I could go out and have a campfire and look up and see stars. I don’t even feel like I always need to go camping because I can sit and watch the stars here in my garden and then go and have a nice comfy night’s sleep.”
The family home is a spacious 3,500 square feet, including 1 bedroom basement suite which her parents live in. The main living area of the home has 4 bedrooms 3 bathrooms, 2 living rooms, a kitchen, and a crawlspace in the basement that they’re turning into an art space. Full of character, this multi-level home has plenty of with nooks and crannies to discover as well as a large backyard and firepit.
“I really love being close to nature. I love the quiet. I can go out and see my friends and then I come back and this feels like a sanctuary. If I want to just spend my entire day gardening and not leaving my property I don’t have to.”
One thing Lou has been most excited about is how excellent the Roberts Creek elementary school is. Her young children have been able to build community at this small school and gain access to rich life experiences they would have never had at the opportunity to access in Metro Vancouver. The children go swimming and golfing. They do beach clean-ups, learn about ecology, build homes in the forest, and learn about First Nations culture and history.
Being a small business owner has helped Lou fulfill her dream of finding a forever home, sustaining her family and building a community support network like no other.
“Once people start to get to know you, trust you and know who you are, then they will go to the ends of the earth for you.”
Are you interested in learning more about making the move to the Sunshine Coast? Contact me a for a consultation.
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Each year, the Sunshine Coast welcomes new year-round residents who have unearthed the secret of “going coastal”. In this Making It Work On The Coast blog series, we’ll get to know our new neighbours, who are fast becoming part of the fabric of our community. I’ll discover their inspirations for moving to the Sunshine Coast, and the homes, lifestyles, and careers they’ve built in our amazing neck of the woods.