Nettie’s Nail Salon and Craft Korner

After a bout with breast cancer in 2010, Annette Willis needed something to do with her hands and a way to pass the time while recovering. She had learned to knit at the age of five, but life had gotten busy and so she hadn't picked up her knitting needles in years. Her recovery provided her with the time she needed to take up knitting again, and soon she had more knitted items than she could ever use herself. Having been involved for years with the Chetwynd Farmers Market, it was a natural place to launch her craft business and sell her knitted items.

When her son moved out of the house, Annette converted his old room into a craft room. She also decided to pursue another interest: nails. She trained as a nail tech, and eventually opened Nettie's Nail Salon and Craft Korner in that very room in her home. She has since recovered from breast cancer and is loving her combined business and serving the people of Chetwynd.

Annette has lived in Chetwynd on and off for most of her life. While she spent a few years living in the lower mainland, she was glad to return to the small town life. "Things are close by here," says Annette. "You can walk to where you need to go. My kids are safe here." In fact, says Annette, only in a small town could you run out of dog food, go to the store and ask the owner if you can get a bag of food to feed your dog and pay for it on pay day and not get a funny look. It is simply the way things are here: people are kind and business owners care more about people than about conventional ways of doing business. It is just one of the many things that makes Chetwynd so special.