It may be a new location, but Delainey’s Lock and Key, the family-owned business, has been operating in Williams Lake for 30 years. Prior to this, it was a home hardware store operated by Krista Storoschuk’s grandparents, Chuck and Shirley Delainey.
The new location is at 149 North Second Avenue, and Storoschuk described the space as “bright and open,” with lots of windows.
“I did a full reno on it. So it’s clean and fresh and just, it’s bright, it’s airy, it’s welcoming,” said Storoschuk.
Storoschuk was born and raised in Williams Lake, “a hop and a skip from Columneetza.” Her mother, Cathy, had a home daycare, and the family, including her father, Doug, older sister and two younger brothers, enjoyed sports, family vacations and family reunions.
“I had a great childhood,” she said, noting her parents were so in love.
After graduating high school in 2000, she began taking courses at Thompson Rivers University in Williams Lake while deciding what she wanted to do next. She was also working part-time at Delainey’s with her father and uncle (Greg Delainey). Doug and Greg purchased the business from Storoschuk’s grandparents in 1993.
Sadly, her father became ill and passed away in 2002. Storoschuk began working at Delainey’s full-time.
“I really looked up to my dad and uncle. I learned a lot from both of them and I just stayed.”
In 2005, Storoschuk became a certified locksmith, and in September of 2020, she purchased the business from her uncle, eventually leading her to her new space, which officially opened on Jan. 3, 2024.
“I wanted a fresh start, you know, to create my own situation.”
Renovations in the new location took Storoschuk around four months to complete, which she said she couldn’t do without the help of her husband, Chris, who works at Red Chris Mine. Renovations included removing a wall that ran through the middle of the space, taking out the chimney, putting on a new roof, getting a new furnace and lots of custom woodwork.
Storoschuk’s day-to-day is busy, an industry she says is evolving with new things to learn. She’s also the only certified locksmith at her business, although she’s training one part-time and two full-time locksmiths, one of whom is her niece (the fourth generation).
“I like puzzles, and locksmithing can very much be a puzzle sometimes … You have to figure out what goes where and how it goes together.”
Delainey’s Lock and Key is fully mobile, meaning if you lose your vehicle’s keys, they can come to you, program new keys and get you back on the road, said Storoschuk.
Along with vehicle keys, they service residential and commercial properties, including at banks, mills and mines. The business serves from here to Bella Coola and everything in between, including Lone Butte, Wells and out toward Horsefly and Likely.
“It’s a necessary staple for this town and I’m happy to provide the service.”
For Storoschuk, customer service and going above and beyond are essential to her, something she learned from her father.
In her free time, Storoschuk finds herself crocheting after a long day at work. She doesn’t crochet anything intricate but rather enjoys projects like blankets that are more mindless and, therefore, relaxing.
“Just enough to empty my mind and, you know, come down from a day.”
In the winter, she enjoys skiing and sledding; in the summer, she’ll be out paddle boarding and camping. Her three boys also keep her busy, ages 16, 14 and eight, the youngest one showing the most interest in the business but still too young to work there, she laughed. The boys enjoy dirt biking, mountain biking and playing video games.
Family and community are important to Storoschuk, something she also learned from her father.
