THE MERMAID IS MAKING A BIG SPLASH IN CAPE BRETON
The success of Kara Lackie and Cory Blundon is the quintessential story of letting your passion lead you where you need to go. Kara is a pastry chef and Cory a short-order cook. For them, the owners of Mermaid Food Truck and Restaurant, that passion is preparing homecooked, tasty, fresh food.
After years working in New Zealand and Fogo Island, they were ready for a new adventure.
“We like little islands,” chuckled Kara of their move to Cape Breton.
Gabarus is originally home to Cory but he grew up in Ontario. Kara grew up in Mississauga, but always wanted to live in Cape Breton. With a decision to move home, they had a plan.
“Our idea had been to work for a couple of years, buy a little house, and then in a couple more years start a business,” said Cory.
Fate and kindness kicked in when Cory’s grandmother gifted them the family house in Gabarus as part of a living will.
“All of a sudden we were bumped ahead five years so we thought, let’s try the business now.”
They went to several banks with their food truck idea, but their loan request was rejected each time.
“We went in heart-broken, but determined,” Cory said of when they walked into Coastal Business CBDC.
“It felt like we were fumbling in the dark until Coastal Business turned the lights on,” said Kara.
Many people told them it wouldn’t work — but they ignored naysayers, gathered close their supporters, focused on achieving what they wanted, and didn’t look back.
“Without CBDC we wouldn’t have been able to start. They gave us guidance, they gave us a loan and they took a chance on us,” said Cory.
“We knew how to turn food into money,” said Kara. “But we had no idea how to run a business.”
She said it helped immensely to have someone sit down and seriously examine their business skills and weaknesses. In retrospect, Kara believes traditional bank financing wouldn’t have worked as well for them as they needed additional support such as the guidance, training and advice provided by Coastal Business.
“Coastal’s not just thinking ‘we want our funds back’, they actually want us to succeed,” said Cory. It’s the type of genuine support that takes that added stress off, he said.
They’ve hired two full-time employees with a third set to start soon - a feat they couldn’t have imagined happening so fast.
Amidst the very long days, they wouldn’t have it any other way, including their weekly sell-out Sundays in Gabarus.
“We live in the most amazing community,” said Kara.
“We wouldn’t have a business without Coastal, my Nan and Cape Breton,” said Cory.
Their advice for others? “If you have a passion for something, even if you don’t have the confidence, go to Coastal Business,” said Kara. “They’ll help you see more clearly.”
“We call them all the time, still,” laughed Cory.
This process has also helped them make friends with other restaurant owners. They truly love food and are determined to support all the other businesses in Cape Breton. They’ve even allowed other chefs to use their space for pop-up cooking events.
“The better we all do,” said Kara. “The better for all of us,” finished Cory.