15 Years of Sugar Me Right Is a Story About People, Persistence and Community

By Scott Arnold

What started with Shannon Gray searching for a way to never run out of her favourite sugaring product has grown into a 15-year Peterborough business built on education, confidence, community and the people who kept showing up.

1. Shannon Gray cuts the anniversary cake as the business celebrates 15 years in Peterborough. (Photo by Scott Arnold)

There was plenty to celebrate inside Sugar Me Right! Beauty Studio on Thursday as owner and founder Shannon Gray marked 15 years in business surrounded by clients, supporters, community leaders, friends and fellow business owners.

Located at 115 Sherbrooke St., Unit 2, Sugar Me Right has come a long way from its beginnings in Gray's home in Buckhorn, where she spent her first three months building the business while also travelling to clients' homes for “sip and sugar” parties.

“It was definitely not the glamorous version of owning a spa that you might imagine when you hear 15th anniversary,” Gray said.

But it was a start.

Gray had been sugaring at home since she was 19, and when the product she used became unavailable, she spent about two years searching for it before deciding to get professionally trained.

“I am very much a reader, so 15 years ago I opened Sugar Me Right and honestly I don't think I had any idea what it was that I was starting,” she said.

From her home, Gray moved into shared space at Park and King, before relocating to a larger Charlotte Street location in 2014.

In 2017, Sugar Me Right moved to its current downtown location, a move that was important to Gray and one that has helped make the business part of Peterborough's downtown story.

2. Peterborough Mayor Jeff Leal and Deputy Mayor Councillor Joy Lachica present Shannon Gray with a certificate recognizing Sugar Me Right's 15th anniversary. (Photo by Scott Arnold)

Peterborough Mayor Jeff Leal was among those on hand Thursday to recognize the milestone, presenting Gray with a certificate from the Mayor and members of City Council.

“Fifteen years in business is a particularly remarkable achievement,” Leal said.

He also spoke about the challenges faced by small businesses, including regulations and economic uncertainty, while emphasizing the importance of downtown businesses and the people they bring into the core.

“The vibrancy of people, foot traffic is so important each and every day,” he said.

Deputy Mayor and Councillor Joy Lachica also congratulated Gray, highlighting her resilience and the example she provides for young people and aspiring business owners.

“I thought, what an inspiration you are to youth and to those coming up who are interested in these things,” Lachica said.

She also recognized Gray's contribution as a woman business owner in downtown Peterborough.

“And your resilience and your inspiration as a woman leader and business owner in our downtown Peterborough is huge,” she said.

Nour Mazloum, executive director of the Peterborough Downtown Business Improvement Area, noted that Sugar Me Right has been connected to downtown for more than a decade, first becoming part of the downtown business community in 2014 before moving to its current location in 2017.

“Downtown businesses aren't just places that we shop or get services at,” Mazloum said. “They have become part of the fabric of our community.”

She credited Gray with building a business that people know, love and seek out, while thanking her for continuing to invest in downtown Peterborough.

But the anniversary was also a chance to reflect on how much the business itself has helped educate the community.

When Gray started, many people were unfamiliar with professional body sugaring.

“I'd get questions like, do you sell candy?” she said.

Instead of simply advertising the service, Gray decided to teach people what sugaring was and what it could do.

“I decided that if people didn't understand it, I was gonna teach them,” she said.

Beginning in 2013, her advertising focused heavily on education, explaining how sugaring could affect hair growth and the skin.

3. Sugar Me Right esthetician Vicki Logan demonstrates professional body sugaring on employee Tara Williams' arm during the business's 15th anniversary celebration. (Photo by Scott Arnold)

For Gray, however, the business has never really been about hair removal alone.

“Because for me, it has never really been just about removing hair,” she said. “It's been about confidence.”

Over the years, Gray has also educated practitioners through Alexandria Professional, supported other businesses, sponsored events, donated to fundraisers and helped with community events.

That broader role has changed how she sees the business she started 15 years ago.

“I don't know why that made me emotional, but somewhere along the way, Sugar Me Right stopped being a business that I just owned,” Gray said.

“It became a we by offering jobs. It became part of the community.”

That, she said, is one of the things she is most proud of.

“A business doesn't get to 15 years because of one person,” Gray said.

“It gets there because of the people who keep showing up, the clients who trust you, the staff who stays, the people who refer you, the other businesses who collaborate with you, community organizations who give you a place at the table, and people who believe in you when you're still trying to figure things out.”

Gray also reflected on one of the earliest challenges she faced.

When she applied for funding during her first year, she was told spas were not the kind of businesses the organization preferred to fund because many closed within their first two years.

“I remember thinking, well, you don't know who's running this one,” she said.

She asked for her application back.

“Challenge accepted.”

Fifteen years later, Gray said those words mean something different.

“It's not really about proving to somebody that they're wrong anymore,” she said. “It's about proving to myself that when I believe in something, I'm willing to keep showing up for it.”

That message was echoed by Cindy Koshowski, president of the Women's Business Network, who praised Gray's commitment to the organization and the community.

“I think you should come and stand up here with me because what I want to talk about is the stand-up part because you are a stand-up person,” Koshowski said.

She also thanked Gray for the kindness and compassion she brings to her work.

“I am so glad you invited me. I wouldn't have missed it for anything,” she said.

A representative from the Peterborough and District Chamber of Commerce presented Gray with a certificate recognizing the 15-year milestone, while also highlighting her support for local business, the Chamber, the Women's Business Network and the Love Local initiative.

The celebration began with a land acknowledgement from Crystal Dawn, who also happens to be Gray's younger sister.

Dawn spoke about their grandmother, who ran a business for many years, and drew a connection between that family history and Gray's own journey.

“Shannon has shown a dedication, resiliency, and creativity often seen in indigenous women in business,” Dawn said.

“A true force to behold and a natural leader, I am so proud to be your not so little little sister.”

For Gray, reaching 15 years was ultimately about more than celebrating the business itself.

“I don't just want to celebrate 15 years of Sugar Me Right,” she said. “I want to celebrate 15 years of people.”

There were plenty of those people in the room Thursday.

Clients who have been there since the early days, members of Gray's team, fellow business owners, community leaders and supporters gathered to celebrate a business that has continued to grow while remaining firmly connected to the community around it.

Gray doesn't know exactly what the next 15 years will bring.

“I have no idea exactly what the next 15 years will look like,” she said.

“But after everything that it took to get here, I'm pretty excited to find out.”

For a business that began with one woman, a product she couldn't live without and a determination to find a way forward, that's a pretty good place to be after 15 years.

Scott Arnold is a Journalist and Content Creator at PTBOCanada Media Inc

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