Cape Breton store offering free land and a job gets 2,000 applications

It pays to think differently, the owners of a Cape Bretonstore learned this week.

On Sunday, the Farmer's Daughter Country Market in Whycocomagh, N.S.,posteda unique "help wanted" ad on their Facebook page. Sisters and co-ownersHeather Coulombe and Sandee MacLeanoffered twofree acres of land along with a job to recruit staff to work year-round at their rural market and bakery.

• Read the Farmer's Daughter job ad on Facebook

They were hoping to attract people from across Canada interested ina simpler life. The store hasn't had much luck findingyear-round staff through conventional job ads.

Within a week, they received more than2,000 applications.

"One couple drove all the way from Halifax and spent the night in a local motel to talk to us about the opportunity," Coulombe wrote in an e-mail to CBC News.

The store was flooded with phone calls in the days after the Facebook posting went up.By Tuesday, the sisters had to change the store'svoicemail message to direct people to email instead, Coulombe said.

They also posted answers to frequentquestions they were askedabout Whycocomagh and the store, such as the fact the land is "offthegrid," meaning a home would have to rely on wood heat and solar or wind power.

The sisters are hoping to narrow itdown to 100 to 200 candidates for the three positions they hope to hire immediately. They aim to start contacting people on their shortlistvery soon, and hope to hire next week.