yáqʷa Development Corporation launches Gizuà

Introducing Gizuá
New Market to operate at the former Sunrise General Store

KITAMAAT VILLAGE, August 9, 2024 – yáqʷa Development Corporation is pleased to introduce Gizuá, a new market concept to be located in the former Sunrise General Store building in the heart of Haisla Village, which was acquired by yáqʷa earlier this year.

As a first step after the acquisition of the building, yáqʷa engaged the community to understand their interests, and to receive feedback to build out the service offerings and define a new name and brand for the former Sunrise building.

The survey received 73 individual responses. Overall, the survey responses reflect strong community interest in developing services that cater to both traditional and contemporary preferences, with an emphasis on local culture, convenience, and variety.

Gizuá, which means ‘sun’ in Haisla language, received positive feedback from the majority of those who completed the survey.

As part of the rebrand, we will be launching a call for artists to help design a new logo for the General Store. Over the coming months, customers can expect to see new products added and opportunities for local artisans and businesses to get involved.

“We are extremely grateful to all those who took the time to share their feedback, which will be so valuable as we develop new service offerings at the new Gizuá Market,” noted Lisa Grant, yáqʷa’s Business Development Manager. “We are excited to implement the community’s vision for Gizuá, while building opportunities for Haisla-led businesses and members to grow and prosper through the selling of their merchandise and employment.”

Customers can continue to shop at the current location until the full transition is complete. Stay tuned for more exciting updates about Gizuá!

For more information and inquiries about opportunities at Gizuá, please contact:

Lisa Grant, Business Development Manager

Tel: 250-639-6206

Email: lgrant@yaqwadevcorp.com

Call for Artists – Logo for new Gizuá Market

Background:

In June 2024, yáqʷa Development Corporation announced its purchase of the Sunrise General Store building located in the heart of Haisla Village.

The Sunrise General Store has rich and long history of operating in Haisla Village. Initially operated as a co-op, Sunrise was purchased by Lloyd and Irene Starr in the early 1960s, and in the early 1990s, Mary and Tom Nyce took over operations. Throughout the years, the Sunrise General Store has played a significant role in the community, renowned for its seafood restaurant, Seamaster’s, and delightful frozen yogurts, which brought people together within and from outside our village.

yáqʷa is focused on sustainably building out the service offerings at the Sunrise location, with a focus on employment and economic diversification for our Nation. Initial plans envision renovating the store and turning it into a market with expanded offerings, as well as identifying a new tenant for the restaurant, as well as identifying other services that can be offered at the location.

Introducing Gizuá:

The name Gizuá has been selected for the new market. In choosing the name, our intent was to respect the history of the store, and also ensure we are supporting our Nation’s goals of strengthening our community’s knowledge and revitalization of our language. Gizuá, which means ‘sun’ in Haisla language, received positive feedback from community members who responded to a survey about the new name.

Call for Submissions:
yáqʷa is welcoming Haisla artists to submit a design for a logo for Gizuá. If selected, the artists will work further with the yáqʷa team to finalize the designs.

Artists should consider the proposed uses for the logo when developing their design. For example, the logo will be used to further design and launch a brand for the market, which will feature prominently on the building and marketing materials and uses. Please be aware that details of the original concept design may require modifications depending on how it will be used.

The selected artist will be compensated $1,500 for their design, and yáqʷa will have exclusive use of the artwork as part of its business.

Submission Process:

Interested Haisla artists are asked to submit the following:

A bio with artist’s name, email, phone number, mailing address, social media information (if applicable)
Qualifications as an artist
A design that can be used as a logo and tells a story that reflects the name Gizuá
Title of the art along with a narrative on the design
Any additional information relevant to the project

Please note that artists may also submit multiple designs.

Submissions should be provided by September 15, 2024 via email to Lisa Grant (lgrant@yaqwadevcorp.com).

Instructions for submitting by email:

Submit high quality common digital files (e.g. jpg or tiff file formats);
For computer generated art, please provide the original application file along with a PDF for viewing;
For hand drawn original art, please submit scans at a minimum 1,200 dpi; and
Save your submissions as separate files, with your last name, lastname_Art_1, lastname_Art_2, etc.

Judging Criteria:

Submission packages received will be judged based on the following criteria:

Completeness of submission (bio and properly labelled art)
Proportion, dimension, and ability to scale to the finished size
Reflection of the Gizuá name and meaning
Creativity and originality
Ability to meet timelines for final artwork by September 30, 2024
Quality of artistic composition and design
Consideration of artist’s narrative

Representatives from yáqʷa collaboratively determine the successful artist.

Only the successful applicant will be notified from the contact information supplied in their bio. We thank everyone in advance for their submissions.

About yáqʷa

yáqʷa was established in 2024 as the economic development arm of the Haisla Nation. Our mandate is to develop, manage and own the active businesses of the Nation. yáqʷa was established to allow for the separation of business and governance within the Haisla Nation. We are open for business and encourage you to visit our website to learn more and reach out to our team.

For more information and inquiries about opportunities at the former Sunrise General Store, please contact:

Lisa Grant, Business Development Manager
Tel: 250-639-6206
Email: lgrant@yaqwadevcorp.com

About yáqʷa
yáqʷa was established in 2024 as the economic development arm of the Haisla Nation. Our mandate is to develop, manage and own the active businesses of the Nation. yáqʷa was established to allow for the separation of business and governance within the Haisla Nation. We are open for business and encourage you to visit our website to learn more and reach out to our team.