Bilingual business Julie’s Creations designs cabinetry, kitchens and bathrooms in Manitoba

Julie Germain moved from Quebec to Manitoba to learn English. Now, she designs beautiful rooms for Manitoban homes in both English and French at Julie’s Creations.

Julie got help setting up her business.  Conseil de développement économique des municipalités bilingues du Manitoba (CDEM) gave her business support and training. Western Economic Diversification Canada (WD) funds CDEM as a Francophone Economic Development Organization. This is one way that WD helps official language minority communities in western Canada thrive.

Transcript: Julie's Creations offers bilingual specialization in design in Manitoba

(Music plays. Camera focuses in on the Julie’s Creation sign that reads “Whatever you dream! Tout ce que vous revez! Come Visit Our SHOWROOM 204-753-2368 – Cabinets – Counter Tops (laminate, granite …) – Sinks &Faucets – Paint – Window Coverings – Cabinet Hardware & Accessories and More !! Designs done with 2020 Technology Software. Interior & Cabinet Designs Juliescreations@mymts.net www.juliescreations.ca”)

(A van branded with the Julie’s Creations logo pulls into a parking space in front of a building with a sign for Julie’s Creations and a sign for North Forge East “Dare to do”. JULIE GERMAIN is driving the van.)

(JULIE GERMAIN – voice-over) I moved from Quebec 11 years ago.

(Camera transitions to a view of JULIE GERMAIN in a kitchen where she narrates the remainder of the video in an interview style. A photo of JULIE with members of her family is interspersed into the next part of the interview)

(JULIE GERMAIN) I moved here especially to learn English. Everyone in my family was speaking English. Yeah, for me it was very very important. I can see my brother and my sister doing what they want everywhere in the world and they can, everyone can understand what they want.

(Video clips of showrooms inside Julie’s Creations, particularly kitchens, are interspersed throughout the next part of the interview)

(JULIE GERMAIN) People like to speak both languages and they are proud. They are proud like I am too because at 43 years old, learning another language, for me was a very big challenge. A very big challenge. I’m a designer. And I’m a specialist in cabinetry. Kitchen and bathroom. That’s what I like to do.

(Camera transitions back to the interview with JULIE in a kitchen setting. Video clips of JULIE interacting with customers are interspersed throughout the next part of JULIE’s interview)

(JULIE GERMAIN) When I moved here in Manitoba I have several jobs, but the job that I was working didn’t have anything to do with design. I needed to learn the terminology, the product, and the words to be able to converse with someone in English. When I was feeling very comfortable, in 2014, I opened my own business in Pinawa. That’s Julie’s Creations.

(The camera pans around the Julie’s Creations van throughout the next part of the interview starting with the back. It is white with images of a purple paint swatches and a sketch of a kitchen design on it.  The back of the van reads “Julie’s Creations”. The side of the van reads “les Creations de Julie” with images of pencils in different shades of purple that say “Comptoirs. Armoires Accessories & Matériaux. Lavabos, Éviers & Robinets Miroirs Peinture. Habillage de fenêtres et bien plus”. The van also has contact information for Julie’s Creations on it “204-753-2368 lescreationsdejulie.ca. Service à domicile en design desservant Winnipeg, le sud-est du Manitoba jusqu’à la plage Victoria et le park Whiteshell. Rénovation. Nouvelle Construction. Restabilation.” On a brown colored pencil image, it reads “Julie Germain, designer d’intérieur et cuisiniste. Services bilingues”. Video clips of supplies in the showroom are also interspersed into the next part of the interview.)

(JULIE GERMAIN) What makes my business unique is becuse I can get more suppliers and I can do business with someone in Quebec that doesn’t speak English.

(JULIE speaks to a client in a showroom in Julie’s Creations)

(JULIE GERMAIN - translation)  You just have to put something behind.

(CLIENT - translation) Ah, that's a good idea.

(JULIE GERMAIN - translation) Certainly.

(Camera focuses back on the interview with JULIE in a kitchen setting. Video clips of JULIE interacting with clients in the showroom and working in her office are interspersed into the next part of the interview.)

(JULIE GERMAIN) I have a customer from Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes. He was building a reitrement house in Pinawa. And for them, for he and his wife, it was very important that they can be served in French. Myself, I like to be served in French and explained in French because it’s so different and you understand so much more what the project is if it’s in your language. When I moved here in, 11 years ago, I never thought Manitoba had so much municipalities speaking French and if I’m thinking that if people in Quebec knew that, a lot of people would move here. And if you know that you can be served in French, you have everything that you need.

(The camera pans a showroom display in Julie’s Creations and then fades to white.)

(WD wordmark)

(Be Leaf Media and CDEM logos)

(Canada wordmark)