Local Ventures, Big Impact

Built to last

If a business has been around for almost 50 years, it must be doing something right. This year marks 48 since Best Plumbing & Lighting was incorporated, and the business is still going strong. The shop, located on 118 Avenue in Edmonton’s west end, has evolved over time from catering to residential customers, and now includes contractors, plumbers, mechanical, developers, builders and construction companies.

“I grew up at Best Plumbing,” says Stefan Pasemko, the company’s general sales manager. He was 25 when he started working there 15 years ago as a warehouse employee. He went on to the parts department, then the sales floor, eventually as showroom manager, before becoming the head of sales, thanks to the faith and mentorship of his managers. That’s something he wants to give back to his own employees. “I take pride in their continued growth,” he says, mentioning a colleague who was living at home with their parents and is now buying their own house, as well as others who have been able to purchase cars.

Best Plumbing supports local and other Canadian manufacturers. The company sources a lot of its concrete sinks and sink consoles from Edmonton-based Crete Collective, and buys other products from manufacturers in B.C., Ontario and Quebec.

Pasemko’s community of customers is wide, and the business builds accessibility support products for the washroom. “People need grab bars and benches for ease of accessibility,” he says. “It makes a difference in people’s lives.”

Best Plumbing & Lighting
Armstrong Industrial | 17111 118 Ave NW, Edmonton | 780.451.2432

Stylish steps

For 10 years Shoes@149 For the Sole Inclined has been, “offering the women of Edmonton the best shoes possible,” the shop’s manager, Kathy Holub, says. It’s also her favourite part about running the business. “You have one chance to make a first impression,” she says. “Our women are stylish and want to look good.” She compares her customers to women she sees when she goes to Europe, who dress nicely even to do something as mundane as going to the grocery store.

Shoes@149 specializes in importing labels from around the world, including Miz Mooz from Portugal, Bueno from Turkey and the shop’s best-selling brand, Django & Juliet, from Australia. “We offer something for everybody,” Holub says. “Some high heels, some lower heels, some comfort.” She says that the staff makes sure to thank customers for shopping locally, and she emphasizes the importance of the community for the continued success. Holub has previous experience running retail shoe stores, and explains that a lot of customers who used to rely on her other business before it shut down came with her to Shoes@149.

She learned that 20 per cent of big-box store sales stay in a local economy, and that number switches to 80 per cent for local business sales. “We want to keep the community going,” Holub says, “and offer the ladies of Edmonton good, comfortable, stylish footwear.”

Shoes@149 For the Sole Inclined
Jasper Park | 8746 149 St NW, Edmonton | 780.341.5663

No resting on these laurels

Is there a better way to mark a special occasion than with flowers? While that’s up for debate, it’s a sure thing that Laurel’s On Whyte will build you a bouquet you can give proudly. Owner and proprietor John Mackell took over the business in 2012, but Laurel’s has been at its spot in the Palomar building on 104 Street since 1992.

“The funny thing is that I actually worked here back in 1996,” Mackell says. “It was my first job in the floral industry.” There were a few changes Mackell made when he took over, like hiring a branding company to give Laurel’s a brand refresh, including a better online presence. But the most significant change he made was to start buying more Canadian flowers. “There’s a lot of local product and a lot comes out of the Lower Mainland in B.C.,” he says, and he buys some Alberta products seasonally.

At first, Mackell attended more wedding shows to build brand recognition. Now he wants the business to start doing more corporate events, so he has streamlined his proposals so they’re clear and clients know exactly what to expect.

More than anything else it’s the variety that keeps Mackell in the floral industry. “Everything is always different,” he says. “Different colours, flowers, moods, emotions, situations and events. That’s what I love about it.”

Laurel’s On Whyte
Strathcona | 8210 104 St NW, Edmonton | 780.431.0738

Where everybody knows your name

Less than a block from Capilano Mall you can find Newcastle Kitchen + Bar, a standout among community pubs. Tim Halabi, owner and founder of the pub (with his cousin Sam Halabi), once worked for IBM Canada, but took a buyout package and opened Newcastle in 2004. His first pub, Doyle’s, opened in the late 1990s and has since closed.

“It’s been the same goal, it hasn’t changed that much,” Halabi says. That goal is to provide a local spot for people to meet with friends and enjoy live music. “Our regulars are the band followers,” Halabi says, and some of them have been coming to the bar since it opened in 2004. Others go for the business lunches and nearby residents comprise the dinner crowd.

Newcastle moved to its current home in 2025 after bouncing between a couple other spots. The current location didn’t have a previous tenant, so Halabi was not constrained by existing design.

“We wanted to keep the family restaurant side. That’s important as more people are going for breakfast and lunch,” Halabi says, “Not so many late nights, the way the bars used to be.”

“We wanted to maximize our space, so we have dividing doors. After the family restaurant is closed, we can open the doors and make the entire space be the pub space, or rent out the other half for private functions.” The dual model is working for Newcastle, and as always it’s anchored by live bands playing weekly.

Newcastle Kitchen + Bar
Eastgate Business Park | 9481 50 Street NW, Edmonton | 780.490.1999

The empire strikes a look

Justine Martinson’s passion is helping people to look and feel their best. That’s also the mission behind her full-service medical spa, Lipstick Empire LaserSpa, which has been operating out of its 124 Street location since 2015.

“I wanted to see a change in the beauty industry,” Martinson says. “In the past, it had a reputation for being catty and judgemental, and I didn’t see it that way. It’s about self-confidence and building people’s self-esteem and connecting with them.”

The business offers a variety of treatments from body contouring and laser hair removal to facial treatments and skin rejuvenation. Martinson says that the treatments build people’s confidence and help them relax and feel safe and comfortable.

“We have a small team, but it’s mighty. There are five of us, and we’re caring and collaborative,” she says. Martinson hires only people who share her philosophy on the beauty industry and are in it for the career, not just a transient job. This is also where the business’ social media comes in — the team makes posts to introduce themselves and their work, and some first-time clients come in knowing everyone on staff by name.

Martinson says it helps people feel comfortable and relaxed, and ultimately that’s the personal touch that Lipstick Empire is all about.

Lipstick Empire LaserSpa
Westmount | 10830 124 St NW, Edmonton | 587.523.5477

This article appears in the October 2026 issue of Edify