Why this Vancouver Island business started closing for staff lunch breaks

A small business in Victoria, B.C., says it intends to keep its doors closed at lunchtime so the store's staff can get a much-needed break — a common practice in some countries but a rarity for most retailers in Canada. 

The Makehouse Co-op, a worker-owned fabric store and sewing instruction studio, closes its doors from 12:30 p.m. to 1 p.m., Tuesday to Saturday. 

"It's an opportunity for us to be able to sit down, take a break," Tanya King, the store's co-owner, told CBC Radio On The Island host Gregor Craigie. 

"Because if we don't take care of ourselves, we can't take care of our customers and our students."

The co-op has been closing for lunch breaks since January, shortly after the workers took over. The business recently posted about it on social media.

The decision generated some controversy, King says, but most of the feedback from customers has been positive. 

King says she doesn't know of any other businesses, especially small retailers like hers, that do the same. But she hopes the concept catches on. 

"We're hoping that other businesses do the same," King said. 

"It's such a consumerism sort of culture here. I think people are used to of just being able to just go to the store shop for whatever they want, whenever they want."

The importance of breaks

Health experts say that even just a 10-minute break can improve a person's mental and physical health. 

Katharine Coons from the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) told Dr. Brian Goldman, host of CBC's The Dose, that taking more frequent breaks throughout the day is more effective for our well-being than one long one.

Coons suggested taking a 10- to 15-minute break every hour to 1.5 hours. Most important, she said, is to do something that's distinct from work tasks. 

Other health experts suggest staying off social media, and trying to sneak in some physical activity. 

King says during the lunch break, staff turn off the music, turn off the lights — and don't talk about work. 

"It's allowing ourselves to just slow down, smell the roses a little bit," she said.