New to the Shuswap? A Guide to Finding Local Businesses and Services
By Lisa Butler, The Shuswap Loop
Moving somewhere new means finding more than a place to live. It means finding your morning coffee stop, someone to call when the kitchen tap leaks, and the shops you’ll return to again and again.
After living in Salmon Arm for 14 years, I know how much those everyday connections can shape your experience of a community. That’s part of why I created The Shuswap Loop: to help residents and visitors discover local businesses and get to know the people behind them.
If you’re new to the area—or still finding your feet—here’s a practical place to start.
Start with your community, then look a little further
Your search doesn’t need to stop at Salmon Arm or Sicamous. Get familiar with names you’ll encounter across the region, including:
South Shuswap: Sorrento, Blind Bay, Tappen, Eagle Bay, Sunnybrae and White Lake.
North Shuswap: Scotch Creek, Celista, Anglemont, Lee Creek and Seymour Arm.
These are starting points, not a complete list of Shuswap communities. Shuswap Tourism’s community guides are another resource for getting acquainted with the region.
When looking for a service, include your community’s name in the search. A business’s office address and the area it serves aren’t necessarily the same, so ask whether it works in your neighborhood before ruling it in or out.
Build your everyday essentials list
You don’t need to find everything in your first week. Start with the businesses that will make daily life easier:
Food and shopping: groceries, a coffee shop, somewhere for takeout and local shops for household essentials.
Home services: plumbing, electrical work, heating and cooling, cleaning or yard care, depending on your needs.
Vehicle and pet care: an auto repair shop, tire service, groomer or veterinary clinic accepting new clients.
Save the business name, contact details and any useful notes in your phone. A short, reliable list is more useful than dozens of bookmarks you’ll never revisit.
Ask a few questions before booking
A listing is a starting point, not a substitute for a conversation. Before you make a trip or book a service, confirm:
Do you offer the specific service I need?
Do you serve my address, and is there a travel or call-out fee?
Are you accepting new customers, and when are you available?
What does the quoted price include?
What are your current hours, and do I need an appointment?
For example, “Do you provide plumbing services in Eagle Bay, and what information would you need for an estimate?” gives a business more to work with than “How much do you charge?”
Use recommendations as a starting point
Neighbors and community groups can help you build a shortlist. When someone recommends a business, ask what work it did and why they would use it again.
Then check whether that experience matches what you need. A recommendation for a small repair may not answer your questions about a larger project. Read recent feedback, explore the business’s own information and speak with it directly before deciding.
Make room for a few local discoveries
Not every search needs to be about a chore. Try a new lunch spot, visit a shop you haven’t been into or browse a local market. Check the organizer’s current dates and hours before heading out; Shuswap Tourism’s events calendar can help you find ideas.
Small outings give you a reason to explore—and a chance to discover your own local favorites.
Find your place in the local loop
Explore The Shuswap Loop to start discovering local businesses. We’re a growing directory, and our goal is to make those first connections easier, whether you’ve just arrived or have called the region home for years.
You don’t have to know the whole Shuswap at once. Start with one useful contact, one new shop and one conversation. That’s how a new place begins to feel like home.
Discover local. Support local. Stay connected.