Sean and Deanna O’Leary opened The Urban Man Cave – for the modern cave man in Port Coquitlam in 2013. After the business was destroyed by fire, they relocated and moved into a new space at 708 Columbia St. in December 2015. Record reporter Theresa McManus recently chatted with Deanna O’Leary about the business that carries items such as neon signs, bars and barware, medieval and fantasy accessories, and patio furniture – all catering to the personal spaces where men can enjoy their hobbies and leisure activities.
Can you tell us about The Urban Man Cave store?
Our store is basically focusing on gifts for guys and furniture for the man cave. We have all kinds of pub tables and items you can order on our website, but then instore we have a lot of smaller things that they can grab and go.
Do men need a man cave?
In our house, absolutely. My husband is the only man. We have three daughters and my mother-in-law and myself, so he is outnumbered. The first term for man cave was actually written, I believe, back in 1992. It’s essentially a means of just getting away, not from women, but life.
How did you come up with the idea of The Urban Man Cave?
I was trying to find gifts for my husband and my brothers. We came to realize we were having a hard time finding a store dedicated to men around here. It was a piece here, a piece there.
Do you get a lot of women in The Urban Man Cave?
In our previous store, I would say the majority of our clientele was men. In this store in New West, it is women shopping for their guys.
What are your thoughts on being in New West?
It’s been amazing. The welcome from the business owners and the residents around there has blown us away. We can’t believe how welcoming people have been. We had a fellow in this morning who just wanted to thank us for opening in the neighbourhood. Every couple of days we have people coming in and doing that exact same thing. What it boils down to, especially at this section – it’s so well known for bridal, not that there’s no need for them –but people are really glad to see something different and refreshing. If they need gifts for their groomsmen or best man, they can come in and look at stuff. We can also custom order a lot of pieces, too. There’s different areas we can go with that.
What are your big sellers?
We have only been open here a couple of months, and it’s completely different than what we had in PoCo – the stuff people are buying. We thought we had it all figured out, and of course we didn’t. One of our biggest sellers has been tin signs that have all different kinds of pictures and sayings on them. Probably our biggest seller is we have belt buckles and barware – pour spouts for the liquor bottle, shakers for martinis, the mats to put on your bar when the drinks spill, that kind of stuff. We haven’t been able to figure out a real trend yet.
Why did you set up shop in New West?
It was meant to be. We live in Maple Ridge. We looked in every community between home and where we were, and then just kept coming out through the communities until we ended up landing here. Around every corner we turned, we faced a brick wall. All I can say is we were meant to be here. We love New West, we have always loved New West. I don’t want to drive an hour to get to work every day – but I am. I take transit in, but even the drive is 45 minutes.
Worth it? Absolutely. There’s been not a day we have doubted moving here. It’s been great.
