Devastated by the untimely death of his wife, a Quebec entrepreneur dropped everything to eventually retrain as a clerk at Shack à Snack, a candy store and popular products on TikTok.
• Also read: The addresses of Cuisinomane: chocolate bars to discover
Louis-Philippe Lebel had made a very good living as a general contractor for 20 years, but the tragic fate of his wife Marie-Pierre Néron made him lose his passion for his work.
While the couple, who met the previous year, lived in perfect happiness, in 2020 the worst news that nobody wants fell: Marie-Pierre was suffering from terminal cancer.
Photo provided by Louis-Philippe Lebel
Marie-Pierre Néron and Louis-Philippe Lebel married in 2021.
The two lovers decided to make the most of each of the hours they had left.
To hell with routine and work, they mostly traveled and were married in March 2021. The Quebec woman died in June 2022 at the age of 46.
New challenge
Months go by and Louis-Philippe Lebel, who is sad about the departure of his better half, does not look back in his old construction boots. Then his friend Jonathan Pérusse, owner of the Shack at Snack, waved to him. He offers him a job at a newsstand and a salary of $18 an hour, an income far below that of construction workers. The man in his forties accepts and embarks on this new adventure.
“It changes my mind. It’s good to see people in a good mood and your head is full of projects,” says Louis-Philippe Lebel, who would like to invest in retail. Sometimes he even works with his 10-year-old daughter, who has quickly become the “darling” of customers.
Instant success
Louis-Philippe’s arrival coincided with the opening of a new store on Place Laurier last December, a crazy month in which he was able to contribute to the company’s immediate success.
“With this new branch I needed a right arm […] Since opening on December 3rd, we have had 2,000 visitors a day. There is great enthusiasm,” confirms owner Jonathan Pérusse. Whether it’s spicy challenges, sour candy, chips from Japan or exotic ramen, the main products that stand out in other countries and are featured on social networks are available at Shack à Snack.
Photo provided by Louis-Philippe Lebel
The company has been in operation for more than three years and also has stores on Boulevard l’Ormière in the Duberger-Les Saules neighborhood and on 3rd Avenue West in Charlesbourg.
There are 140,000 people who follow Snack Shack on Tik Tok. About thirty employees work on the smooth running of the company, which can boast of enormous success with sales of just over 5 million US dollars last year.
Do you have any information about this story that you would like to share with us?
Do you have a scoop that might be of interest to our readers?