E7 - Louie J. Manzo

One part flannel, one part well-groomed beard and ALL personality - Louie J. Manzo has become an icon for small business owners in Mississauga.  Upon a deeper look - this founder, owner and operator of CABIN: Barber and Gentlemen Supply Shop - is revealed as a lifelong entrepreneur, risk taker and a person dedicated to creating a sense of community wherever he is.  In today’s episode, I sit down with Louie to learn more about his career journey, his experience in the podcasting world and his advocacy for others during the COVID pandemic.

This episode's Lorne Park Local Legends - two of our local Facebook-based Freecycle Groups
1. The Original South Mississauga Facebook Group - administered by Olga Gray and Julie Farenyuk
2. The South Mississauga Free Exchange - administered by Christine Dore-Scaini

  Both groups are fantastic communities and a great way to share items in your home that you no longer need and access some amazing items right in this area!  You can join today and help reduce unneeded waste!

  Do you know someone from South Mississauga who would make a great guest on the show?  Send your suggestion to lorneparkliving@gmail.com.

  Also, make sure to subscribe, rate and review!

Information from the Episode:

  CABIN: Barber and Gentlemen Supply Shop - 504 Lakeshore Rd E, Mississauga, ON L5G 1J1
  https://www.cabinforlife.ca/
  905.990.2427

  Stayin' Alive Podcast with Louie J. on YouTube

Do you know someone from South Mississauga who would make a great guest on the show? Send your suggestion to anuja@anujapereira.com

Also, make sure to subscribe, rate and review!

Follow me at www.instagram.com/anujapereira.homes

Transcript

Anuja Pereira: 0:00

One part red plaid flannel. One part super well groomed beard and all personality. Louis J has become an icon for small business owners in Mississauga. Upon a deeper look, this founder, owner and operator of the cabin barber and gentleman supply shop is revealed as a lifelong entrepreneur, risk taker, and a person dedicated to creating a sense of community wherever he is. In today's episode, I sit down with Louis to learn more about his career journey, his experience in the podcasting world, and his advocacy for others during the COVID pandemic. Welcome to Lorne Park living. I'm your host Anuja Pereira and each episode, I get to help tell the story of someone in the south Mississauga community who is a difference maker, making here such an incredible place to live. Louie J. Manzo is more than the iconic bearded owner of the cabin barber and gentleman supply shop in Port credit, with an eclectic career background, a passion for connecting people, and a desire to advocate for other small business owners. I'm looking forward to chatting with Louie J today as we discuss all things leadership, inspiration and community. Welcome to the show, Louie.

Louie J.: 1:19

Thanks for having me. This is tremendous.

Anuja Pereira: 1:22

Yeah, I'm so excited to talk to you I need to be a little bit honest. When I first asked you on the show, I was really thinking about you specifically as how I first met you, which is the the owner and operator of the cabin. And you know, even in the short time that you've been in the area, you have what I would call become an icon in the area, not just because of your your wonderful looking beard, but because you've really established yourself. But upon further reflection, as I've researched, I have learned there is so much more to you than than meets the eye. And I think my listeners would love to know a little bit more about you and your background. So I'm hoping we can get into it. If you're okay with that.

Louie J.: 2:07

Yeah, I'm happy to do so. And what an incredible thing to hear. So that was nice. Those words made me feel really special. And I appreciate that. That's really kind.

Anuja Pereira: 2:18

Yeah, I was most interested in learning about your career background, I did not know that there was more to your background than entrepreneurship. So do you want to tell us a little bit about your career history and how you got to where you are today?

Louie J.: 2:33

Yeah, well, I'd love to I mean, I akin it to being like, I'm the Swiss Army knife of careers. It's been, it's been varied. There's a lot of different pieces, because I always believe that you should really just follow your passion and figure out, you know, where you land and not be so married to the outcome. And in this case, I mean, I started off early, I decided that I would start in the retail, a clothing trade, and I worked for a Montreal based company called Lucia toe, which was really big at the time. It was iconic. I think it was one of those places where everybody wanted to work but only certain people got to so I felt really privileged.

Anuja Pereira: 3:12

I don't see you screaming Le Chateau. So I am wondering if you had a was there a plaid flannel look in their shadow 30 years ago? What was it what was going on then?

Louie J.: 3:23

It was whatever version of plaid flannel was happening. And it would have been more like buckle boots, pointed shoes. Definitely it would have been black, white face makeup eyeliner. And if you could throw a kilt in there, then you might find that as well. And I think that everything that was growing on top of my head is moved to my chin. So add to that it's the slight differences of today versus yesterday. It was it was a different look. But that version of plaid at that time, for sure.

Anuja Pereira: 3:57

Fair enough. Well, we'll have to link some pictures to the show notes. If we can get those in there. I'll try to sneak some in.

Louie J.: 4:03

So Chateau was a great place for me to kind of kick off my professional career got me into managerial positions, had me in supervisory positions, which ended up you know, kind of helping me in my next path, which, as I recall, would have taken me into hospitality, food and beverage from the servers to the managers, which I loved because again, it was serving people and being around people. And that was a great way to be able to really connect and learn about people. So hospitality I think was a really good spot. I think I encourage people all the time young people, especially to spend time in those two places, because it really is a skills development environment. And then beyond that, I was fortunate enough to be taken from a man management position into an advertising agency marketing firm. That's a show was really cool. Yeah, it was a shift. Yeah, it was a shift. But I think that at that time, it was like If you had management skills and people skills, you could find that you could apply those to really any industry. And in that case, I entered advertising in a production capacity, I ended up managing a production team and because people for whatever reason, enjoyed working with me. And for me, I ended up getting the best out of them and making it an environment that was really suitable for all the work that we had to do. And those were fast paced environments, advertising and marketing agencies. The demands are unforgiving, and that was, that was a very fast paced time for me. But it ended up allowing me to kind of work my way through the ranks of the ad world and I went from production management into client services, client services, I eventually found myself in strategy and creative to some degree, which gave me a real edge when it came to taking care of customers and making sure that the campaigns were bang on that we hit the mark that we make meaningful contributions to the brands that we were helping to serve. And so for the ad world, I found myself finally at the VP position and moved from some midsize agencies in Canada working on some very cool projects. The time was really entertaining and it was fast paced, which I loved. It was never a dull moment, we'd be talking about eggs in the morning, mufflers in the afternoon, down to electronics. By the time we finally put our heads to bed at night, it was fast paced, and very Huggies very interesting when it came to the content that we had to digest on the daily. From there, I was able to move my way into kind of a unique position because dot coms were really becoming popular. And I wanted to take a hold of what the industry was offering and what the market was. And I ended up writing a strategy for a canadian.com that I ended up becoming a founder, co founder of and that and that was at the height of E commerce in Canada was the start. And it quickly grew to you know, there's something very special going on online, when we didn't even really know how to purchase online at the time. So we were early pioneers in the.com. But I was fortunate that we attracted investment firms, we attracted. We attracted the likes of stock exchange, we ended up publicly trading with the Toronto Stock Exchange within a year of us founding the company. And that was very exciting, because it was a new learning and like everything that I'd done up until then it was like eyes wide open and become a sponge. As a as it kind of just grew and move moved, I ended up moving with it. And we all know how most of those columns ended up failing at the end. That that was also a great learning is how to wind down a company. But we had our accolades, we were top 25 the businesses in Canada, and were recognized in the North American environment. So that to me was a great place to be in it ended up becoming a launchpad for what was next I ended up doing speaking tours about permission marketing, ended up becoming a bit of a consultant when it came to what the internet was and where we were going at a very early day of online. And I realized that my my best place was managing people and I wanted to manage them on my own with my with my own company. And so I created a small advertising, communications and marketing agency in the Toronto area, worked on some cool brands had some fun with that. And as I as I look back, that was 25 years ago, and I built that brand into what's now you know, a fairly sizable Canadian marketing and events company. So I get a chance to be able to play with some large manufacturing brands, some pharmaceuticals, all of which my clients have become great friends. And I love that communication space. In the middle of all that I decided it was a cool idea to put a men's fashion line on a runway and I sent a bunch of designs down a show here in Toronto, which which garnered the attention of some international design firms because I still loved my roots, which was fashion and it was trend and it was cool and hip. And I always asked for more when I couldn't even put more on the plate. There was always something else to do. And so that that I think for me was a number of different spaces. The culmination of all of my experiences have kind of come back to help me in this next leg, which is what you started talking about and the shop that we created. Kevin,

Anuja Pereira: 10:01

I wonder too, just in my short time of knowing you, I can feel your passion, it is like palpable when you try see you smiling i When you talk about the things that you're doing, like I can feel it from the other end of a phone line from the other end of a zoom call from the other end of this podcast, I can feel your passion for the things you are doing. And I wonder, having such a varied background that, like now you have the luxury of choosing things that you're passionate about. And I wonder how all those experiences have informed those decisions that you make today?

Louie J.: 10:34

I'd say definitely there's, we're at a place where, where, you know, to your point, we can say yes or no to the projects we take on. And not always was that the case? You know, sometimes in the early days, the the revenue year was driving, what we would do and I had this philosophy that I would say yes to everything, you know, and I still do, actually, the philosophy is the same, except the stuff that comes to me is more aligned with, you know, what I want to be part of, I think that you, you end up becoming a magnet for things that you love. And if you can constantly put out that positive energy, you're going to have things that come at you that are positive. And my theory is that I'll always say yes, before I say no. And I'll have to find a reason to say no. And so and even in doing that some of the dreaded projects or things that you just don't like doing or you're not passionate about, I've learned from actually one of my one of my staff, who's a friend at cabin, that the way I approach it changes my outcome. And the way I approach is that I stopped saying I have to do this, and I've moved on to I get to do this. And so even if it's something that you know, wasn't top of your list, and you weren't passionate about, you can turn anything into a passion project, just by the way you look at it. And I and I live by that. The other the other thing that I've learned actually from him as well. And that's the thing, I think that I've surrounded myself with some really great people at every level. So I learned from everybody, I'm inspired by practically a lot of things, but I listen to what people have to say and how they say it. But one line that that really is true for me is that how I do anything, is how I do everything. And so if it's even if it's, you know, I happen to like cleaning, I like organizing, I like making things kind of look aesthetically pleasing. So that's not something that I dread. But for some people, it's the worst thing you could have them do. So you know, when you cut the corners, and you didn't finish it to the 100%? When you start to look at that, is that show up in your life and other places? Are you cutting the corners? And when you're cutting the corners on the easiest tasks? What are you going to do when it's the hard tasks, the heavy lifting? You know, I always think about that when it's in my knee judging a restaurant. The one place I always go to, and I think a lot of people do the same as like, go check out their bathroom. And if, if the bathroom just doesn't have all the finishing touches, and it's clean. And it represents to me it's the bowels of the of the environment.

Anuja Pereira: 13:22

That is an interesting choice of words, Louie!

Louie J.: 13:24

That's right. Yeah. But it is, it's the place where people will easily overlook it. But if they've got it together, and it's it's stylized, it's designed, it's decor is bang on, it's entertaining, I mean, for what it's worth, it serves a function, but it could be so much more. And for those restaurants that go out of their way to make that as important as the front entrance, then I know that everything else is going to be taken care of. And I look at that the same way I approach any project. So even even the projects that don't sound very passionate can really turn into a passion play. And who knows where that'll take us.

Anuja Pereira: 14:00

If you had to look back on younger years, or even current if we're talking current here, would you do anything differently?

Louie J.: 14:08

Is this one of those questions where you say what would you tell your younger self? Yeah, pretty much. If I had the conversation with myself at 20, I would say don't don't waste your time. And not that I think I wasted a lot of time. But if I was given the chance to know where I could be today and get a faster head start on that if I could move quickly during those times of trying to figure out what you like and what you don't like. Then I would say just jump in like just jump and the other thing that I would tell myself is that sales is not a bad word in for such a long time. As you know I was coming up through the the environments that I was the employers that I had. And I was always told you should get into sales you should get into sales. And although in a retail environment, I worked in sales, it was a dirty word. It was like, you know, the used car salesman or you know, you were trying to make cold calls. And, you know, what I recognize now at my age is that every single thing in this world needs to have been sold. And there's different ways to be able to approach the sale. And so I think I would have changed the language back then. And I would have given myself the advice that you should embrace sales, because you have a natural talent, you have an ability to communicate with people. And you can help people recognize what they need and what they don't need. It doesn't have to be that ugly word that says, I'm going to pressure somebody into doing something they don't want or buying something they don't need. So I look at sales as a different environment altogether, the word to me is like, it's like, I really, I respect it, because I know how valuable it is now, and how important it is that people do a good job doing it. So those are two pieces of advice, I'd give the younger version of me to move fast. To not to not waste time. I mean, I've had a great life. I've enjoyed all of it. But I think I would have put myself a couple years ahead of where I am right now. And knowing where I am right now, I wouldn't have minded having this, you know, five years earlier,

Anuja Pereira: 16:22

You talked a little bit about sort of going with your gut and what drives you. And I know your father was a barber and was in the industry. And I know that you are not a barber. But what is it about the cabin that pulled you into that industry and into that atmosphere? What is it?

Louie J.: 16:40

Well, yeah, I mean, I find both my parents, they're creative in a lot of respects, although they would never say they're creative. But they, they both have shown me over the years that they express creativity in a different way. And my father, being a barber went into a trade that, you know, was perfect for him. He's good with his hands. He, he he has a relationship with his customers. He created an environment that was very standard at the time, which was, I say it in the videos that we've recorded for cabin, but it was the idea that there was this social gathering place for guys. And barbershops hadn't changed for decades, it was this place where where men would get together, they get cleaned up, they would socialize, it became that kind of communal hub. And my father's place was no different. It was actually the Center for a lot of people, they would make that their their regular spot. And as I was trying to figure out, what do I do next, because I'm always looking for what's next. And this was probably in and around eight years ago, where I was deciding that I made it to a level in the marketing and advertising world. I've been recognized by my peers, I've made a lot of great friends and have relationships that I can count on. What I want to venture out and do. And it was the suggestion of a good friend that said, you know, you should create a place where guys can feel comfortable getting advice on style, to help build their confidence. And so I think that my father's place was the inspiration for cabin, it really was the tipping point I added all the other pieces to it. The fact that it's a retail environment, it's a place to buy gifts, it's a place to spoil yourself with something that you wouldn't find on the shelves in most places. So I thought this was a good chance for us to create this unique environment that took care of something that was necessary for us that grooming aspect. Create a space where you can find something unique that you'd love to own even more that you'd love to give. And then if we could wrap it around community, that would be the ultimate. And so in all the cabin environments we create, you know the likes of whiskey night and we'll bring in a whiskey chef and we'll host special events, private catered, dinner parties. corporate companies come in to host meetings in our spaces, the buyout the environment so they can create this really unique this unique and memorable time for their staff and their teams. So kind of checked a lot of boxes with what we want to do and I still have aspirations to do more.

Anuja Pereira: 19:32

Well it is an incredible space no doubt about it. I was welcomed in even as a female and it is a beautiful like every detail is just so well thought out and it's really cool. I wanted to call everyone BOD and I wanted to be called bud when I was in the air because it was just such a nice environment and very Canadian and very homey and comfortable. So absolutely a great experience. I am wondering why you think this is such a need. Maybe now Do you think that, you know, as we move? I've been reading a lot about the metaverse, and you know, as we move more and more online, do you think that enhances the need for a place like this?

Louie J.: 20:11

I think it's funny you say that I think that there's a place for cabin in the metaverse for certain, I think that we'll have those online experiences. And we'll have the representation of what we're creating right now in a different world altogether. I'm very excited about that next step. But all of us that are sitting, you know, north of the ground, in a real world, I think more than ever, we've got to, we've got to create these connection points, these touch points that allow us to feel like we belong. And whether it's a hair salon, a barber shop, your special, you know, community center, whatever that is, that makes you feel like you're connected to the to the people that are part of it. This is the time now when we recognize how valuable and important it is, and I think we couldn't have came in at a better time. Only because I think we're longing for this there is this the sense of, there's a renaissance to it, like in the sense of I want to connect with my community, I want to create this hub. And I want to be able to exchange and have a relationship that I feel like, you know, imagine going back 5060, even longer 80 years, and it was getting the gas attendant to pump the gas, and you knew his name, or you knew the owner of that shop. And there was this camaraderie and this this connection that, you know, I think people need more than ever. And as a result of as a result of us going so long, kind of eroding that connection, we now recognize how valuable it really is, and places like cabin, and other businesses like it in different sectors that have figured that out and have created that safe environment. I think those are the ones that are really going to stand out, we're not another generic place, a factory environment where you're going to get your haircut be out the door. I mean, every experience counts. And we it means the world to us to create the sense of belonging. And that's, that's where I think we need more of that. Let's have more of that.

Anuja Pereira: 22:25

You also have at the Cabin, placed a really high importance on giving back to the community through, you know, inviting Santa's in and collecting food for the compass, or, you know, doing a ladies night where the funds go to even food for change are some of these different endeavors? Why is that so important? Do you think?

Louie J.: 22:48

I feel from my perspective, it's almost an obligation, like if I can count on the support of the community, to embrace what we're offering, whether it's a haircut, or, you know, a beard trim, whatever our services are, and the products we sell, if I can count on the customers and our community come in and buy and take take in what we're offering, then I feel it's my obligation to give back where it's needed to say that I'm I'm taking some of the revenue that you shared with me, so that I can share it with those that are, you know, are challenged or less fortunate. And so for me, it's like I always went into practically anything that I created with the idea that I'll take what we need to be able to sustain and grow. And I'll take a part of that whether it's a percentage or it's, it's, it's an it's an offer, or whatever I can do, I'll take a piece of that and give it back where I can. And you know, Port credit and the downtown locations for us, it was a chance to be able to do exactly that, to to give it back. We just happen to have great vehicles to do it in poor credit and, and Lorne Park and Clark's and like where we can put our efforts to help people that are that are food challenged, that are marginalised that that need extra help, and they might just need it for a day or for a year. But my gosh, if more people looked at it the way we do then we really we'd erase the the headaches that they suffer and face. And that's the bigger goal. Like really help people in our community that can use a leg up because who knows, it could be any of us, especially now what we've seen happen in the last year and a half, two years where the carpet can be pulled out from underneath you at any given time that's been proven. And even with the most stable ground and foundation you could find yourself in a predicament. So wouldn't it be great if somebody was offering a hand to you?

Anuja Pereira: 24:57

As we talked about the last couple of years You have taken on a leadership role both in tourism Mississauga on the board of directors. And also you have been quite the advocate for small business owners during specifically the lockdown periods during COVID. So I want to ask you, you know, why do you feel like it has been important to be an advocate for other small business owners?

Louie J.: 25:23

I think I'm, I'm, I guess I was asked, and I answered the call, I had no plans on becoming that advocate. But I was given an opportunity to share my thoughts and my voice, and the encouragement that I got from other small businesses saying, you said exactly what I want to say, and thank you for your comments, fueled me to continue doing it. So when I was asked again, I felt like I was actually representing our community, from a small business standpoint. And once you start realizing that you're helping, and you're doing more, and you can be that voice for those that don't have one, or a platform, then for me, it was it was, it was a natural, it just had to happen. And for as much as they want, or as little as they ask, I'm happy to help and be part of that. If I can represent people that don't have a chance to do that, then that's gonna be a goal that I want to continue pursuing, for sure.

Anuja Pereira: 26:23

Speaking of platforms, and speaking up, I know that you are way ahead of me in terms of podcasting. And you started a couple years back during the pandemic staying alive with Louis today, and I think it's available. Definitely no on YouTube. It's where I caught it. And yours includes video, I'm wondering what made you start staying alive with Louie J.

Louie J.: 26:44

It again, was a suggestion it was you need your own podcast. And once you hear somebody say something, so many times you start, you start having to listen. And so I didn't know if that was going to be entertaining, or what we were going to talk about, and you know why we needed to do it. But I kept on being told that I had to do it. So I thought well, I've had a number of life experiences, certainly around business, and I've sat on many boards I've been, I've been invited to the table over and over and over again. And I thought this would be a cool chance to talk about the things that I've learned that I've seen my experiences, and ideally help and inspire people to kind of be their best in life that they're leading. And if that was an outcome for this, I'd be very excited. And so I'm fortunate that around me are some very talented people, the soundtrack of the production. I mean, I've got some other people to thank for that. They make me sound and look as good as they possibly can. So I'm thrilled to continue that conversation. We had to take a bit of a break because the world got busy again.

Anuja Pereira: 27:58

Why is it called stayin alive? What's the title?

Louie J.: 28:01

Yeah, aren't we all just trying to stay alive? Especially when you get the the roadblocks that happened to us during the early stages of the pandemic, it was like, Oh, my gosh, what more can you throw at me? That is gonna make me realize that I've got to fight and claw to make things happen. And that's, that's where that idea came from. The soundtrack, of course, was the BGS original, it's been reproduced with the help of one of my good friends, Joe Davanzo. He recorded that, but as you listen to the lyrics, it's the story of my life. You know, outside of you can tell by the way I use my walk. I'm a woman's man, I don't know if you can say that. But

Anuja Pereira: 28:43

everything. Louie- PG over here!

Louie J.: 28:47

I do have a walk. I don't know if it says I'm a woman's man. But the point was, is that it talks about being kicked and being down and then always coming back up. And so you asked earlier about what did your you have a big failure? No, but I had a number of setbacks that made me really recognize that I gotta fight for where I'm going. And I got to be recognized and, and of course, that constant drive in the background of being, you know, the guy that shows up. That's right, I thought staying alive would be a great story to tell. Just from the opening soundtrack.

Anuja Pereira: 29:23

You labeled yourself the uneducated businessman, and I'm wondering why why that label?

Louie J.: 29:30

That for me is it's again, getting back to making people feel good. First of all, I I didn't pursue a post secondary education by choice. I really wanted to get out and work and I wanted to experience and I didn't think that I was going to be entertained in school as much as I was going to be in the workplace. So I took that path. And a lot of people would against the measures and checks that they have in life to see If you're successful or not, they would deem me successful. And I want more than anything for people that sat in the same position as I did, making those life choices, and deciding which way to go. To recognize that not always, you simply have to follow the path. And there's a path for you. And yours could be entirely different. And by me, acknowledging that I'm uneducated, by all standard definitions of what education is the formal education and training that happens in school. And it's not to take away from anybody that's decided to go that path and some careers, insist that you do. But I want to be a proof point that you can, regardless of where you were told to be, or what you had to be, you can be whatever you want to be, and making, that that statement of that proclamation that I'm an uneducated businessman, puts me in an arena of so many people that are just like me, and I want them to feel comfortable, and I want them to feel great. And I want them to realize that you really don't have to have the formal training to do and be whatever you want to be.

Anuja Pereira: 31:13

As a high school teacher, this is a conversation I have often and I grew up, you know, in a culture and a family where I was told, you know, lawyer, doctor, engineer, right, those were sort of my choices. And, you know, despite that, knowing now, and what I've seen in my life, and so many of the most successful people, if you look at California, and you know, Silicon Valley, so many people are those risk takers, and those entrepreneurs who may not have the same formal education that at least in my household, was very much pushed. And I think, you know, my husband and I, as we raise our children, we do so with our eyes open and with a different understanding of what being educated mean. So I really am hearing what you're saying. And I think it's a really important message for people to hear.

Louie J.: 31:58

I'm glad to hear that because the world has changed. And our expectations and our prerequisites have all changed along with that. And when you can recognize that, you know, your family pushing education is a common story. And I think so many people bend to the pressure of what the expectation is that they they fundamentally get into a place of unhappiness. And I don't care what you're doing in life, the number one goal has to be this pursuit of happiness, it's what really drives and motivates us and motivates us. So if we can figure out a way to minimize that pain, and that pressure point in putting the unnecessary expectations on our kids, to let them pursue what really, really drives them and makes them happier.

Anuja Pereira: 32:47

You talked a little bit about hoping that your podcast would be a success if you inspired someone. So I'm wondering, who inspires you, who inspires

Louie J.: 32:55

me? Well, I find inspiration in many different forms, you know, the environment, the aesthetic, I'm inspired by the way things look, and, and smell and in all my senses somehow influenced the things that I think in the way that I do. But I'd have to say that, for the most part, risk takers are what truly inspire me. They're the ones that put themselves out, that are open for criticism that stand by their beliefs and their way of being in their thinking and whether I agree with them or not. I have huge respect for people that open themselves up for criticism. Because they feel like they have to. So I think that people like that remind me of my biggest inspirations, which are my my family. I mean, my three children. They're all growing older now, but very unique in the people that they are. They have their own personalities, and are strong and independent. And I'm inspired by them. My eldest Madeline has an incredible design eye and an aesthetic and loves to make things look and feel good for people loves to entertain and host and I see things through her eyes that inspire me. My middle child Macy is so nurturing and kind and concerned. And I see the way she operates as being an inspiration and how we can treat people and how we would all get along a little better if we did. And then my youngest Miller, is the most confident 15 year old that I've ever had the pleasure of meeting. And I say that because Miller's a 15 year old transgender girl that completely has understood who she is, for such a long time. And I applaud that because it really is a true testament to the fact that to pursue happiness and create happiness, you have to understand who you are, and you stand by that. And so when I see people do that, I think they're risk takers and I'm inspired by that I think my children obviously get some of that from from us. And I really have to say the pillar of our family, and my deepest inspiration has to be my partner, Tammy. I mean, she's not in the spotlight, she doesn't get the attention that I do. And yet, she's the reason that I shine and that we are all collectively, you know, cohesive, because it's really her strength and her glue that that Bond's us and makes us the better people that we are. So I'm inspired by the fact that she's always in the background rooting and cheering for us and making sure that, you know, at any cost that we're happy, and that, to me is truly inspiring. That's something that I think if everybody had a little more of the world would be a better place. So I, I see inspiration all over. But I don't have to look very far to recognize that it's right in front of me.

Anuja Pereira: 36:00

I do want to talk a little bit local and ask you why you've been in the poor credit community for a little while now. What do you think is special about this area?

Louie J.: 36:11

Oh, my gosh, you know that there was a t shirt that was going around poor credit when I was younger, it said poor credit, a way of life. And I never really knew what that meant. But I know that there's this sense of community here that's not unlike small town, anywhere. And although we're in a big city, this environment, this community feels like you're in a small town. And I love that village feeling. It is really special. And I think it has a lot to do with the diversity that we have here. The makeup of social economic differences that really kind of create this unique and dynamic environment where your conversations can be very rich, very heated, very emotional and very pleasant. So I love the the points of difference that we all have in this space. I love the geography of it. Being by the lake, there's something I don't know, it's something magical about the fact that we're sitting on the edge of one of the great lakes like it's, that's we're so fortunate. And sometimes you overlook how fortunate we really are. So there's something really special about this port town. Beyond that, it's got to be the history, the rich history. The fact that I'm in 190 year old house, where stuff happened at the water's edge well before me that people have been here before me that I'm experiencing the same type of environment they did. Just in a different time. I think that that's really cool.

Anuja Pereira: 37:49

Do you have any local favorites? Like what's your favorite place to eat in the area? Clarkson Lorne Park por credit? What do you where do you love to grab a bite,

Louie J.: 37:58

I was so worried you're gonna ask me something like that big. I mean, that's where I think we're at such an advantage here. There's such incredible restaurants along the Lakeshore and north or south of the of the road here that I've got a lot of, of hotspots that I love to vacate to visit and I would be in such trouble if I picked one out over the fair enough, I'd say I think we're so fortunate because we've got such a variety of places to be able to get really good quality food with great service. One of my spots that I love isn't necessarily a business. But it's the fact that we're on the Waterfront Trail, and you can practically Connect community after community after community. Simply by walking along the waterfront, you might take a dip up to the lake shore and back down again. But you see this incredible, you know, variety of, of homes of people. And again, you get to look out over over Lake Ontario, which is like just incredible when you when you really think about it.

Anuja Pereira: 39:03

So one of the questions I always end with an L is gonna allow you to get those creative juices flowing again. If you were building a home Louie and money were no issue. What is one design feature? You would be sure to include?

Louie J.: 39:19

A great question. That's very cool. Well, design is something that I'm very passionate about. And I've dreamt up every possible scenario of my ultimate dream home I think I make be in my dream home. So that's kind of good. If I was to do anything different here, I would have this fascination with antique elevators. And I would probably put in one of those clothes caged elevators that were glass on the side and you could see yourself going through the bowels of the building and get to the top and you'd have to get this rickety old door that opens up to get you to whatever that is and if I was to scale that down Because cost was a problem, then it would be a dumbwaiter I think that those were just cool, you know? Yeah. Something on a pulley that would get me that hot plate up to your breakfast, you know bedroom in the morning. I think that would be very cool.

Anuja Pereira: 40:15

Well, money's no issue in this little question. So you know what the remedy doored elevator with glass, everything you want. So we'll get that for you in our little dream scenario.

Louie J.: 40:26

It's gonna be very cool. You can come and ride it's gonna be cool.

Anuja Pereira: 40:29

There you go. Awesome. Well, it has been so great to talk to you today movie. I think we could probably go on for hours and hours, but we will lose our listenership pretty quickly. But it has been such a great pleasure to talk to you today.

Louie J.: 40:42

It's my pleasure, for sure. I'm thrilled that you had me on.

Anuja Pereira: 40:45

Thank you. Yeah, thanks so much. So that is it for our interview with Louis today. But stick around for a shout out to this week's Lorne Park local legends. In each episode, I look forward to what I call Lorne Park local legends, a chance to thank one or more people for their grassroots work that really impacts this community. This time, I'd like to do a shout out to our local freecycle groups. Recycling is a global movement that encourages people to give things to others for free, rather than throwing them away, thereby keeping unneeded waste out of our landfills. locally. We have two fantastic Facebook groups that you can find online and join. One is called the original South Mississauga freecycle. Administered by Olga gray and Julie Ferrand, UK, and the other is called the south Mississauga free exchange administered by Christine Dorie skini. If you're looking for a great way to share items you no longer need in your home, and also get some pretty great things that you could use. I highly recommend both of these groups. They are wonderful communities run by really dedicated volunteers to everyone part of making these freecycle groups possible and everyone participating and reducing waste. We thank you. And thank you to you for joining us here today on the Lorne Park living podcast. I'm your host Anuja Pereira. Be sure to subscribe so you can catch us next time when we get to hear the story of another difference maker of this community making here such an incredible place to live. See you next time.