Victoria Christmas store earns student hands-on holiday education

A student at an alternative Victoria high school is getting some hands on experience in running her own business.

This holiday season Brianna Faith, a Grade 11 student at the Pacific School of Innovation and Inquiry, is running a Christmas crafts store downtown called YYJingle.

The space for the store was donated by Bob and Brenda Louie, who own several downtown commercial properties.

"I love Christmas and I love business, so I thought I'd combine them together," Faith told All Points West host Robyn Burns.

"I brought it up to my principal, I said I wanted [a Christmas store] when I was older, but it's kind of a far-fetched goal, and he said 'Nothing's far-fetched if you try to do it.'"

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The store is meant to be part of Faith's education, and she says the experience has already taught her a few lessons.

"It's hard, but a lot of fun," she said. "I've learned how to meet people, converse with people inventory, human rights, pretty much everything there is to learn about running a business."

Faith says the proceeds raised by the store are being split between the makers of the goods and the Single Parent Resource Centre, a charity that Faith says helped her throughout her life.

"I would have had some pretty terrible Christmases if it wasn't for them," she said.

The business will be running until Dec. 23, but Faith says the school still has access to the space for some time after that.

She says she's not sure what will happen to it after Christmas, but it might be handed off to other students.

To hear the full story, click the audio labelled:Jingle bells and jingling coins come together for student-run Christmas store