Meet the ABLE BC Board of Directors: Michael Brown, Director
Michael Brown is a staple of the Gabriola Island community. He is the owner of Village Liquor Store, former owner of Silva Bay Resort & Marina, and a big supporter of local charities, donating an average of $7000-8000 from the liquor store each year. Michael is also a staple of the ABLE BC community. He’s been a Director on our Board for about seven years, and a member of ABLE for much longer. Michael has been an active participant in his time with ABLE, volunteering his time at several events, meetings, and committees. He has a strong belief that if you want to see positive change in the industry, then you better be ready to roll up your sleeves! He’s seen ABLE transform under the leadership of our Executive Director, Jeff Guignard, and he continues to be impressed with the successes the organization has achieved since Jeff came on board eight years ago.
Michael has a long and fascinating history in the liquor industry. He started out serving at the UBC Faculty Club while attending university, then hopped over to England where he managed pubs through the late 1980s and early 1990s. He got a degree in Cellar Management of Live Ales from the British Institute of Innkeeping before returning to Vancouver and buying Chesarestaurant. He eventually landed on Gabriola in the early 2000s where he was involved in the marina, a pub, and two liquor stores. The Village Liquor Store was opened in 2007 and has been Michael’s main focus ever since. Along his journey, Michael studied wine, taking several sommelier courses from DJ Kearney. He also became a certified dog trainer, specializing in basic and advanced protection and search and rescue training. Having a chat and a beer with Michael is highly recommended – he’s got excellent stories!
Michael is passionate about our industry and the people in it. He believes in supporting his staff, community, and industry colleagues, and the Village Liquor Store is an example of that. When the store expanded a few years ago, he commissioned a mural of local characters, had custom-built cabinets put in, and he extended his already impressive selection of craft BC products. He has always been an ardent supporter of local producers and aims to offer experiences that the government stores can’t.
One of Michael’s priorities as an ABLE BC Director is to bring about greater transparency and accountability to government stores. He is also invested in finding solutions to the labour crisis and reducing government red tape for small businesses. He is excited to see the industry opening back up after a challenging two years and he will work hard with the rest of the ABLE Board to ensure that the excitement, camaraderie, and passion of the folks in our industry have room to grow as we move out of the pandemic.
Not one to discriminate, Michael had a hard time picking just one bevvie when asked about his favourite drink. He is partial to a good Scotch, particularly Bruichladdich’s Black Art line, and a big fan of BC Pinot Noir, which he (correctly) believes give Bourgogne pinots a run for their money. He also loves cocktail culture and isn’t likely to say no to a well-crafted beer, gin, or vodka.
