A new and friendly convenience store serving Filipinos and other clients is now open for business.
Gladstone One Stop Shop was formally launched at 6564 Victoria Drive in Vancouver on January 5, 2020.
The shop is owned by Tito Valdez and wife Gen.
“We stand by the phrase ‘A friendly convenience store’, so shoppers will experience our hospitality by helping them find what they need, and assisting them cheerfully,” Valdez said.
According to Valdez, his and Gen’s vision for the shop is for it to grow into a vibrant location that will also provide a variety of services to shoppers.
These services include a money remittance centre, and a future fastfood spot serving healthy options.
“It started with our Promag 300 product from the Philippines with which we have customers all over Canada,” Valdez related about the idea for opening a store.
“The common question that they usually asked is ‘Where is your store located?’, and we always give our home address, so we finally decided to put up a store where we can sell not just Promag 300, but anything that could benefit the consumers,” Valdez said.
Promag 300 is a formula designed to supplement the human body with magnesium transdermally or through the skin to address magnesium deficiency.
Promag 300 promotes better sleep, helps in relaxation and stress management, increases energy levels, and improve moods.
“Me and my partner love selling, and we feel happy once our customer is satisfied with our products,” Valdez said.
Gladstone One Stop Shop is going to be a unique convenience store because of the owners’ association with One Filipino Cooperative of B.C.
“This store is also a trading centre for One Fil Co-op members who want to market their products and services,” Valdez said.
According to Valdez, One Filipino Cooperative of B.C. has been helping him and Gen before the opening of the store.
“They gave suggestions about the set-up, and the products,” he said.
Members of the co-op are going to get five percent discount on groceries at Gladstone One Stop Shop.
In addition, co-op members who shop at the store will have a patronage refund at the end of the year.
“The One Filipino Cooperative of B.C. has a slogan of ‘MATUTULUNGAN KA NA, MAKAKATULONG KA PA’,” Valdez said. “Its purpose is to help members.”
Until quite recently, Valdez was active in the health sector. He retired in June 2018 after having worked for 28 years with Vancouver Coastal Health.
Valdez is also known in the community for his TJAY Driving School. The driving school has helped many learn road safety, and acquire their driving licences.
“I will still be a driving instructor because that is my passion,” Valdez said.
Gen, for her part, was a former clinical instructor in the Philippines.
“We just saw this place that is available, and we thought that it’s a good place to put up a convenience store,” Valdez said about the 6564 Victoria Drive location of the store.
Gladstone One Stop Shop is near the southeast corner of Victoria Drive and East 49th Avenue.
The store will also benefit non-Filipino shoppers looking for health products, like Promag 300.
“Our Promag 300 transdermal magnesium is used by other nationalities who have problems with blood sugar, gout, arthritis, and skin diseases,” Valdez explained. “The good thing about this product is that it’s not taken orally. It works by merely mixing it with warm water, and then soaking your feet every night for 30 minutes.”
Tito Valdez and Gen also offer Atomy health and household products. The Korean line of products is well known in North America and Asia.
The store also provides money remittance services to non-Filipinos.
Gladstone One Stop Shop will likewise serve as a venue for One Filipino Cooperative of B.C.’s pre-membership education seminars. The seminar is a requirement for those interested in joining the co-op.
“There will be more services that our store will provide, but still on process,” Valdez said.
The launch of Gladstone One Stop Shop was attended by officers and members of One Fil Co-op, and the Fil Cooperative One Housing Society or One Housing Society, a sister organization of the One Fil Co-op.