Move over mega-influencers: This B.C. corner store is the new social media star

Big corporations and social media mega-influencers aim for the amount of impressions that a small convenience store in Langley, B.C. has earned. Ed’s in Brookswood, a snack shack on 42 Ave. in Langley, is co-owned by Amit Sharma (“Ed”)—whose TikTok account currently has more than 1 million followers—and brother Narender Puri. The store’s video views are in the multi-millions, largely in part to Sharma’s foul-mouthed persona. The strategy is no accident, though, knowing that behind the phone is Sharma’s nephew Nikhil Puri, a student at UBC’s Sauder School of Business. 

Is the schtik is good for business? Probably, considering Ed’s other social media accounts are also growing: the shop has nearely 75K followers on Instagram and 26K page likes on Facebook.

Below, we highlight three ways that the family-run store is flipping the run-of-the-mill social media playbook.

@eds_in_brookswood

refund isnt even in my vocab #edsinbrookswood #edsisthebest #fyp #vancouver #langley #wordupvancouver

♬ original sound – Ed’s in Brookswood

The customer isn’t always right

Albeit dripping with satire, Ed’s controversial take on refunds is a refreshing one among a sea of businesses who breed consumer entitlement with “the customer is always right” values.

@eds_in_brookswood

16 guard blowout taper 😮‍💨 @baker blends • If Baker didn’t blend it, it ain’t blended right💎 • #16guard #surrey #vancouver #surreybarber #vancouverbarber #taper #haircut #fyp #texturedhair #hair #hairstyle #edsinbrookswood #bakerblends

♬ original sound – Ed’s in Brookswood

Great clips

Ed gets a haircut in his shop while getting interviewed about his shop’s snacks, in a counterculture moment that defies all social conventions of a shopkeeper.

@eds_in_brookswood

kitkat lover paradise 😍 #edsisthebest #edsinbrookswood #brookswood #langley #exoticsnacks

♬ original sound – Ed’s in Brookswood

Product placement

Fast-talking Ed gives a no-BS run-down of a variety of KitKat bars now available in his snack shop. Now, bring on the after school rush.

Behind the viral clips is a business strategy as sharp as Ed’s one-liners. In a recent interview with Convenience Store News Canada + OCTANE, Nikhil Puri broke down his secret sauce. “We found that comedy works way better for us than straightforward advertising. Both my dad and uncle run the store, and my uncle’s always been a funny guy. Customers would come in just to chat with him, and I thought, this is perfect for social. Of course, not every store has a personality like that to build on. I wouldn’t recommend copying what someone else is doing. You need to find what fits your store and your personality.”