When Peter Boak was looking for a place to launch his own office furniture business about 18 years ago, he set his sights on Waterloo Region.
Already an industry veteran in the London area, Boak and his wife, Jeannette, decided to head east when the time came to strike out on their own.
"I've always had a passion to have my own company," he says. "It was one of the things on my bucket list."
Attracted by the region's diversity and "can-do attitude," the couple established Prestige Business Interiors in Waterloo in 2000. It's a decision they've never regretted.
"I don't think you could have picked a better place to be for the last 18 years," Peter says. "This is just a phenomenal community. They've been so good to us and we've been so fortunate."
But that bucket list still has a few more items, and the couple has decided to retire and close the business. They'll vacate their Northland Road showroom on Friday, and wind things down in the coming weeks from home.
"This business has provided us a living that I never even dreamed possible," Peter says. "But the clock's ticking and you can't work forever. You've got to put the priorities in the right place."