Langford on track for banner year for new business applications

Businesses are booming in Langford, where the city could surpass 500 new business applications in 2023.

Award-winning Sheringham Distillery opened its doors in Langford on Tuesday.

Jason MacIsaac and his wife Alayne started the business in 2015 from the couple's home in Shirley, B.C. They then moved the business to Sooke three years later.

Now the plan is to make the 9,000-square-foot building in Langford the distillery's forever home.

“We’re really happy to be here,” said MacIsaac. “We’ve been welcomed by the municipality, by the community and it’s a great place to do business.”

Another newcomer to the community is Long & McQuade. For a business focusing on musical instrument sales, rentals and lessons, Langford sounded like a great opportunity.

“The population boom that has happened out here on the West Shore,” said store manager Nicholas Sieber. “With the new high schools going in and all the schools in the rental business that can happen in September, it just seemed logical to be able to service more of the community out here, instead of just in Victoria.”

Langford is on track this year to outpace the number of business licence applications it has received over the past two years. In 2021, the city received 482 business licence applications. In 2022, there were 454.