A lovely woman carrying a few shopping bags out of Damsels, goes up to the store owner Dee to give her a warm embrace. “I have been coming to your store since you first opened and I was a young teacher, excited to have some extra funds to spend on some nice clothes,” she reminisces with Dee. That was fifty years ago.

Originally from Singapore, Balraj relocated to Nanaimo for his wife to attend the teaching program at VIU. Balraj continued to work in tourism and real estate consulting for clients in Hawaii. When they were ready to buy a home here, they were instantly turned away by the bank.