In June 2016, Sarah Sklash and April Brown took a leap of faith by buying and relocating to a roadside motel named the Sportsman Motel.

Throughout the years, the two friends openly discussed leaving their jobs to embark on a business venture together. After numerous brainstorming sessions, they settled on an idea: creating an Adult Wine Camp. With their shared love for Prince Edward County, they stumbled upon the Sportsman Motel and began the process of purchasing it. They opted to maintain the motel’s current operations and honour the existing reservations and, after the tourist season ended, they embarked on the challenging task of revamping the motel’s appearance, ambiance, and identity.

Transforming their vision into reality required significant effort but the pair was determined to do whatever it took to get it done. By June 2017, The June Motel was open for business.

After the successful transformation and the many great reviews that followed, Sklash and Brown took what they learned and ventured out to find other locations to expand their brand. After securing locations in both Sauble Beach and Beaver Valley, they sought out financing for the renovations from the Community Futures Program through the Saugeen Economic Development Corporation (SEDC), Community Futures South Georgian Bay (CFSGB) and Bruce Community Futures. Once the financing was secured, they were able to bring to life the retro, feminine, bold, and playful aesthetic they created in Prince Edward County in the other communities.

The Saugeen Economic Development Corp. (SEDC) was thrilled to back The June Motel’s remarkable overhaul in Beaver Valley, acknowledging the perfect fit of their concept with the area.

“This is our third motel project, and every time we have worked with the local Community Futures office to obtain financing to complete our projects. We appreciate the focused support for entrepreneurs making a local economic impact. We value the support that SEDC provided through the project.” – Sarah Sklash and April Brown, Co-founders, The June Motel

Community Futures Funding Partner:

Rural businesses, organizations, and communities are the cornerstone of Canada’s economy. To ensure rural Canadians are positioned for success, the Government of Canada, through the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario), has partnered with the Community Futures Development Corporations (CFDCs) across southern Ontario to provide access to the tools and support these businesses within their communities need to succeed.