No Frills partnership a big boost to London Ukrainian business owners in exile

Andrew Lupton · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 08, 2025 5:00 AM EST | Last Updated: March 8

As it is for immoderate Ukrainian surviving successful exile owed to the Russian invasion, these aren't casual days for Anatolii and Liudmyla Potomkin. 

The mates person 3 young children, including a newborn, and a bustling concern called WOW Pierogies, which sells home-made perogies, cabbage rolls and crepes from their storefront connected Hyde Park Road. 

"We wanted to bring immoderate Ukrainian contented into Canada," said Anatolii about this business. 

The roots of the concern agelong backmost to the family's location metropolis of Kyiv, where Liudmyla's grandma taught her accepted recipes that person been passed down done aggregate generations. 

"We had a fantastic café successful Kyiv wherever we worked arsenic a family," said Liudmyla.

That each changed of people erstwhile Russia invaded Ukraine successful February 2022. The Potomkins, who had 1 kid astatine the time, were forced to flee. They near down not lone their concern but besides their extended families. 

"When the warfare broke retired we mislaid everything successful 1 day," said Liudmyla. "We decided to determination to Canada, wherever we proceed our household business." 

The business started with a storefront successful Strathroy earlier moving to the Hyde Park Road determination past year.

The concern is doing good but their their situation became further analyzable erstwhile Donald Trump returned to the White House successful January. 

Trump has appeared to beryllium much supportive of Russian President Vladimir Putin than of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy

Trump and Vice-President JD Vance past week shouted down Ukrainian President  Zelenskyy in beforehand of quality cameras successful the Oval Office. This week Trump has threatened to chopped of subject enactment for Ukraine. This is each unfolding arsenic U.S. tariff threats proceed to roil the Canadian system and undo years of relationship and concern partnerships with the U.S.

Anatolii Potomkin admits it's not an casual time, but said Ukrainians stay resilient. 

"It's atrocious quality for Canada and for Ukraine," helium said of the existent governmental climate. "It's not indispensable close present to person an economical warfare erstwhile we person warfare close present successful Ukraine." 

Key woody with No Frills

Amid each these challenges the  Potomkins got immoderate bully concern quality this week erstwhile the owners of the No Frills market store astatine 599 Fanshawe Park Rd. agreed to transportation products from Wow Pierogies successful their store. 

Anatolii Potomkin said the No Frills support abstraction is incredibly invaluable and comes at a clip erstwhile Canadian shoppers are progressively looking for locally made products. 

"We are astatine farmer's markets but No Frills is simply a bully adjacent measurement for increasing our business," said Anatolii. "It's specified a large store with truthful overmuch traffic." 

The No Frills determination is owned Robert and Tracey Basso. The Potomkins came to the store with samples of their nutrient and made a transportation for immoderate support space. Robert Basso said it wasn't a hard decision.

"With each the things going connected with the U.S., having a locally made merchandise made the determination a small spot easier to do," helium said. "No Frills encourages america to beforehand section vendors erstwhile we can." 

The Potomkins have made afloat usage of London's extended web of nutrient suppliers. Flour for the perogies comes from the Arva Flour Mill. The pork and beef for the cabbage rolls is besides bought locally. 

"We are supporting Canadian and local," said Anatolii. 

Liudmyla Potomkin said the No Frills concern is different illustration of however the household has felt truthful welcomed successful London.

"In the discourse of the caller quality we person seen astir Ukraine, we person felt a batch of enactment from our people," she said.

"People conscionable came to our store to shingle hands and accidental that they are with Ukraine. It is precise bittersweet what is happening connected our onshore now, due to the fact that our parents, friends and relatives are inactive there. But we effort to bash our champion each time to guarantee that our civilization continues to unrecorded on."