Richard Cope

WHAT GOT YOU STARTED?

by Burke Campbell 

Published in the Financial Post

 July 14, 2008  

Richard Cope owns and runs Copeaesthetic ( www.copeaesthetic.ca ), a Toronto firm that designs and makes customized curtains, beddings, and such. Recently, he opened Cosa di Casa, a retail shop that sells decorative items for home or office. Richard Cope tells the Financial Post what motivated him to become an entrepreneur.  

Small town, big dreams: “As a boy growing up in Petrolia Ontario , I wanted to learn how to sew, and my mother said, ‘Well, then, do it!’  But a small town can be limiting.”  

Urban awakening: “In the late 1980s, I enrolled for studies at the University of Toronto . It was liberating to be in the big city, where I could reinvent myself and fulfill my dreams.”  

Transition: “I apprenticed at several well-known businesses, full and part-time. But in 1998, my work evolved into Copeaesthetic, a formal business outlet for my design talents. ”  

The blossoming: “In October 2007 I opened a retail shop, Cose di Casa, and filled it with decorative items. Shortly after that, TD Bank called me up, suggesting a specialty loan and generally made my business expansion much easier.”  

Loyalty helps: “Up to 80% of my clients are repeat customers. I focus on what they enjoy, translating that into design. While I never impose my taste, I do have a talent for creating a room that delights the eye.”  

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