Biography

Brian Pealow’s first job, at the age of 16, was at an IGA store in small-town Ontario where he corralled shopping carts and bagged groceries. Over the next few years, even when he was at university studying business, he found opportunities to work in various departments in various grocery stores, absorbing knowledge of the industry.

Pealow considered a career in accounting, but the sociable environment of the grocery store held more appeal. He earned his honours degree in business administration and then, he said, “I went full steam into getting my own franchise. That involved moving and promotions and a lot of work.”

After managing the Arbutus City Market on the edge of Vancouver’s Kitsilano neighbourhood for three years, Pealow and his wife, Julia, moved to Creston in October 2017 and purchased the Extra Foods store, renaming it Pealow’s Your Independent Grocer.