Discovering the Beauty of Small
Qualicum Beach is a lovely place. A real, small town that happens to be beautiful, settled on a hill between the mountains and the sea. I can walk from my own front door past the well cared for gardens and homes of my neighbours and make my way along wooded paths into town or down to a wide sandy beach.
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For over a century, families just like mine have been spending their summer vacations frolicking on that beach and enjoying this small community.
Over the years there have been many changes, but the charm and character of Qualicum Beach is being preserved and nurtured.
 Exploring the downtown village is a pleasant afternoon’s stroll. Shops are clustered together and the sidewalks are lined with flower baskets and colourful banners. During the holiday season the lights will be twinkling, the shops decorated and the bell tower will ring out with favourite yuletide carols.
Beauty really does matter to us in Qualicum Beach and you won’t find big box stores or fast food chains in town. Instead there are unique shops with flair and character — just like their owners. Boutiques, art galleries, bookshops, antique stores, florists, home décor studios, bakeries, cafés, fine restaurants — all adding to the personality of the town and the quality of the citizens lives.
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 When you visit Qualicum Beach, you step into a real, small town. A place residents are proud of and are happy to share. Everywhere you look you will see the attention that has been paid to the small details — the cement handprints of local kindergarten students (my son among them) preserved in the sidewalk near town hall, park benches in the just the right places, overflowing flower baskets and garden beds. People meet your eyes here and smile or say hello. They hold open doors and are quick to share a laugh. Visitors are often surprised by these small, some say old-fashioned, gestures. But that’s just what small towns are like.
If you want to experience small town life for yourself, join in on Moonlight Madness on November 19. If you enjoy searching for that perfect gift be ready for a Moonlight Madness — a launch to a winter craft fair weekend like no other on Vancouver Island. Remember to relax, take your time and smile back at someone you don’t even know. Because that’s what you do in a small town that happens to be beautiful.
And that is the beauty of small. Sandy Robson is a writer and graphic designer who lives, works and plays in Qualicum Beach. Photos courtesy of The Qualicum Beach Chamber.
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