In 2010 we had a vision for a multidisciplinary wellness centre set in a warm, inviting space. But after a collective 10 years study in our health care professions we had no money, no assets, and a lot of student loan debt. When the banks wouldn’t loan to us we turned to Community Futures North Fraser for funding. We created an ambitious business plan and managed to exceed our five year projections in the first year of business.
Evoke Wellness Centre opened in 2011 after a large-scale overhaul involving a lot of blood, sweat, and tears. With the help of friends and family, we did a lot of the work ourselves, reusing and refurbishing what we could from the existing space. We hired a local woodworker who used repurposed wood to build the front end desk and shelving and collaborated with a local tea artisan to create a custom blend of Evoke tea that is offered to welcome our clients.
We are passionate about downtown Mission and our community. The whole Evoke team annually volunteers free treatments to the Mission Music Folk Festival volunteers and to participants of Mission’s Heritage to Hatzic race. In 2011 Evoke Wellness Centre had an impressive float in Mission’s Christmas Candlelight Parade. It was a fun project of epic proportions but we haven’t done it since because we’ve been focusing on a new project: growing our family.
Evoke won Business of the Year (with less than 15 Employees) in Mission’s 2012 Business Excellence Awards and we are proud to be the only multidisciplinary centre of its kind in Mission. We look forward to continue bringing health and wellness to the people and place we call home.