OCTOBER 2015
        
        
          H
        
        
          business elite canada
        
        
          
            7
          
        
        
          one’s eyesight.
        
        
          “There is the flipside of the scenario as
        
        
          well,” said Strasser. “Many people just
        
        
          starting out in life get further ahead by buy-
        
        
          ing from us. We’ve had someone propose
        
        
          on one knee in our store after buying an
        
        
          engagement ring . . . I cannot count how
        
        
          many dozens of guitars we’ve sold to bud-
        
        
          ding musicians. We have helped people
        
        
          recover from insurance claims, replaced
        
        
          lost diamonds, and set up people with
        
        
          their first computers.”
        
        
          
            Q: Does Premier support the community in
          
        
        
          
            other ways?
          
        
        
          Premier donates to a variety of charitable
        
        
          causes throughout the year. Last year the
        
        
          company  gave $1,000 in food and sup-
        
        
          plies to the Kelowna Women’s Shelter and
        
        
          sponsored a police K-9 unit training event,
        
        
          said Strasser. They provided a $4,500 Ca-
        
        
          nadian diamond engagement set for a fun-
        
        
          draiser for Kelowna General Hospital and
        
        
          donated to the Kelowna Food Bank and
        
        
          the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty
        
        
          to Animals.
        
        
          
            Q: What impact has the recent popularity of
          
        
        
          
            television shows based on pawn shops had
          
        
        
          
            on Premier?