@weiswesternwear Being a founder was only part of Wei’s story. Being a dad (and a grandpa) was always the heart of it.❤️ He believed the best lessons weren’t taught, they were lived. That’s why his kids worked in the store alongside him, learning responsibility, people skills, and what it really takes to build a business from the ground up.
♬ original sound - Wei's Western Wear
In our family, “being together” wasn’t optional, it was a way of life. We worked, ate, and travelled together. My childhood was spent throwing baseballs between stacks of jeans, chipping golf balls into cowboy boots, and using the store aisles for hide and seek.
My parents had a way of letting me be a kid while grounding me in the reality of the family business. There was just one rule: the moment the door chimed, the game stopped. Sports gear hit the floor, put a smile on my face, and I was ready to greet customers and ask, “How can I help you find what you’re looking for?”
It was a rhythm that blended freedom with responsibility, half kid, half junior employee. My grandfather, Wei, gave me a lot of freedom, but it always came with a side of responsibility. It’s a balance I’ll always be grateful for because "it made me love this place without resenting it." I learned early on that the store wasn’t just a building; it was the backdrop of our entire lives.
My dad and uncles, Steve, Chung, and Al, grew up the exact same way. Their teenage years were shaped by a different awareness, growing up as minorities in Red Deer. While others were at parties or out on weekends, they were unpacking boxes, straightening jeans, and learning that the quiet work done together builds more than just a business. They didn’t always "get it" back then, but looking back now, they realize those long hours were how they learned to build something that would last.
That is the world Wei built. He didn’t believe in separating work from family; he built a life where the two were one and the same. He raised his children and grandchildren in that world, and it forged a bond that doesn’t break. We didn’t just grow up in a family; we grew up in a living story, a legacy that shapes us, guides us, and shows up in everything we do every single day.