When Olha Zolotkova arrived in Winnipeg just months after Russia’s massive invasion of Ukraine in 2022, she spoke no English.
Now he is building his own business.
“I’m very excited… A little worried about it, you know, but I’m happy because now we have freedom, we have opportunities. [to] start something new,” Zolotkova said at her new showroom in the Exchange District.
But this wasn’t always part of his plan.
Over the years, Zolotkova worked as a teacher, director and textbook editor in Ukraine. She started thinking about starting her own business when she arrived in Canada, but thought it would be a daycare.
While on summer break from her job as an educational assistant at a Winnipeg school, she decided to launch By Zola, an online store and appointment-only clothing boutique specializing in plus-size clothing for women.
It’s something he saw as necessary when he was shopping in Winnipeg.
“When I tried [find] clothes for me, it was [a] challenge,” he said.
For some of the thousands of Ukrainians who landed in Manitoba following the start of Russia’s massive invasion in 2022, starting over includes launching a new business.
Zolotkova, who also still works as an educational assistant, hopes there will be a market for the clothing lines she is introducing.
“It’s something new for me, and I like both things education and creating something,” he said.
“We’ll see, and I hope… it’s successful.”
Nearly 30,000 Ukrainians have arrived in Manitoba through the province’s reception and reception center since February 2022, according to a provincial spokesperson. More than 27,600 health cards were issued.
Neither the province nor the organizations CBC consulted with are tracking how many people have started businesses here. But Zolotkova is not the only one who has done it.
Mila Shykota, who arrived in Winnipeg after the start of the war, created the Winnipeg Ukrainian Guide.
It is an online directory of some businesses recently started by Ukrainian newcomers, as well as others selling Ukrainian goods or food.
Vitaliy Lebezun, Vice President of Warkentin Business Solutions, which offers accounting and business consulting services, said it has answered questions from Ukrainians who have arrived in Manitoba on topics such as starting a business and self-employment.employment requirements.
He expects this to continue as people settle down.
“There are a lot of people who came and had their own businesses, and that’s why they want to start here again,” said Lebezun, originally from Ukraine but who moved to Manitoba more than 20 years ago.
“And there are many people who perhaps didn’t have businesses but always wanted to have them and are going to start.”
His company now has four people on staff who have arrived from Ukraine since the war began, he said.
It’s been “amazing” helping those who ended up in Manitoba over the past three years, he said.
“I always tell them I wish I had that help when I came, because maybe I would have been successful even sooner.”
‘You are not alone’
Yuliia Okhrimenko moved to Winnipeg with her son in May 2022. Her husband, Serhii, arrived more than a year later.
The couple is now about to celebrate the first anniversary of KoloShop, thYour Ukrainian gift shop, located inside House of Local at 680 Watt St.
The store sells all kinds of things, from candles to toys and decorations. Most of it is produced by people who left Ukraine because of the war, they said.
“I just remember that moment, it was difficult. The main goal is to help these people,” Yuliia said.
“If you can help 50 people, that’s good. That’s great. We’ll help them sell their products and they’ll make some money.”
Yuliia and Serhii ran a flower shop in Ukraine. But for them, KoloShop isn’t just another business: it’s a community.
“Our people [are] “It’s pretty strong, but everyone needs to feel the support,” Serhii said. “We try to combine, as if they were not alone.” “We are all together.”
In addition to running the store, Yuliia and Serhii have other jobs. Yuliia said her family feels settled in Winnipeg and hopes to stay.
“I already have my house here, but I still remember my house there… If I ever think about Ukraine I start crying, because it’s like you’re between two countries,” he said.
“You recognize that you are here and you are building a new life here, but you still miss your old life.”
For Zolotkova, there is no easy answer to questions about whether she hopes to stay in Canada or return to Ukraine.
She chose Winnipeg in part so her daughter could study at the University of Manitoba. Her husband and parents are also in town now.
“Maybe one day… when the war is over, we will visit Ukraine,” he said.
“I don’t know, it’s a very difficult question right now, because… the situation in Ukraine is getting worse every day, and I don’t know what will happen next.”
For now, growing his business is part of making Manitoba his home, he said.
