People of the OCQ: Siya and Rasila

When Siya first imagined owning a character property in Nanaimo’s Old City Quarter, she wasn’t thinking about office space or an Airbnb.

“I just always had it in my mind that one day I would own a character home in the Old City Quarter. I love this neighbourhood,” she says. 

At the time, it was simply a dream.

Years later, while searching for office space for her growing real estate team, that dream resurfaced in the form of a century-old building just steps from some of her favourite local businesses. 

“I always go to White Rabbit,” she laughs. “I’ve worked in different parts of downtown, so I kind of know the different areas. This area is a bit quieter.”

The building felt right, but the numbers didn’t.

Property taxes were high, renovations would be extensive, and relying solely on office tenants didn’t feel like a sustainable plan. So, Siya, along with her husband and partner Rasila Herman, developed a plan to turn the property at 376 Selby Street into a multi-use building. The property was previously a law office and already had mixed-use zoning and clearance for a hotel.

Together, they spent months transforming the nearly 100-year-old building, uncovering its history along the way. Original floors were preserved, old doors were repurposed, and even an antique lawyer’s desk discovered in the  basement became a custom workspace.

The project was far bigger than either of them expected.

“We made a joke that next time, we should just buy a three-storey building instead of adding a storey on top,” Rasila laughs. “It’s so much more complicated and expensive.”

But neither seems to regret the decision. 

Instead, they talk about people. The tenants who have become neighbours. The businesses that support one another. The conversations that happen in shared spaces.

The ground level floor is comprised of business owners with a shared boardroom. Upstairs is where Siya and her real estate team have offices. Around the back of the building is a beautifully renovated hotel. This multi-use building with various revenue streams is what has made the property financially functional, but also has led itself to be a community space. 

“It’s a pretty communal sort of vibe,” Siya says.

She intentionally looks for tenants who complement one another, creating opportunities to collaborate rather than compete.

That sense of community isn’t accidental. It’s something they’ve both been searching for since moving back to Vancouver Island. After spending time travelling and living in Australia, the couple reached a crossroads.

“We were travelling in a totally nomadic lifestyle,” Siya says. “Then we were like, do we plug into a system and live normal adult lives raising a family, or do we continue travelling around the world?”

The answer brought them home.

“I love Vancouver Island,” says Rasila. “That’s kind of the reason I’m in development. I want to be protecting the places that I love, but also accepting that development is inevitable.”

Rather than resisting change, he wants to help shape it.

“I like meeting people that are fired up,” he says. “There’s a lot of them downtown here.”

That energy is exactly what they hope this building contributes to.

They’re not just landlords. They’re creating a place where entrepreneurs can build businesses, where visitors can experience the Old City Quarter, and where ideas can cross paths over coffee in a shared boardroom.

Siya has watched Nanaimo evolve over the last decade through her work in real estate.

“I always saw potential in it,” she says. “It’s really cool to see how far it’s come in a pretty short period of time.”

Ask either of them why they chose to invest so heavily in Nanaimo, and neither talks about return on investment first. They talk about people.

“We’re professional advocates for Nanaimo and the Island,” says Rasila. “We’ve made a business out of advocating for developing and settling to the Island. This is home.”