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2 Old Maids take on heavy lifting

Corrine Stark and Cindy Schoenit use their trucking industry background to their advantage
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Corrine Stark (L) and Cindy Schoenit (R), owners of 2 Old Maids, a cleaning and packing business in 100 Mile House. (Photo submitted).

With backgrounds in the trucking industry, Corrine Stark and Cindy Schoenit are far from two old maids.

But 2 Old Maids is what the two women call their move-out services in the 100 Mile House area.

When one of Schoenit’s tenants moved out of her rental, leaving it in shambles, Stark helped her whip the home back into shape and the two women realized how well they worked together.

“When we walk into a house to clean, we both seem to gravitate to certain jobs that we have come to routinely do,” Stark said.

She noted Schoenit is gifted when it comes to administrative duties, while she does the more physically demanding jobs. After figuring out where they both shine at their jobs, they work thoroughly on the tasks at hand, checking in with one another from time to time and coming together to vacuum and mop at the end.

The pair originally met in 2018 while at church, connecting over their shared faith and love for horses. Having both grown up separately in the Fraser Valley, they were each looking for property to buy that would allow them to have horses once they and their husbands retired. Sure enough, they all found themselves in the South Cariboo, a place Stark described as being a “hidden secret,” with its beautiful outdoors and small-town vibe.

While cleaning has been associated with a woman’s work, the physicality of their job – including stacking all of the boxes ready for moving – is often associated with men. Despite this, they haven’t shied away from these traditionally more male-dominated roles, including the many years they each spent working in the trucking industry.

“My years working in the trucking industry taught me much about competing with others and myself. I often pushed myself to work harder than my male counterparts in a vain effort to prove I was worthy and respected in a non-traditional trade,” Stark said.

“Even though I was an excellent employee and highly skilled, that was seen as a threat to some of the men I worked with. I eventually learned to strive for personal excellence and disregard what others thought of me. That comes with age and wisdom. Today, Cindy and I carry that attitude forward in our business as the 2 Old Maids.”

2 Old Maids has a policy where they always have two people show up to a job. If one of them is sick or unable to make it, they’ll call on a few other ladies to help out. They’ve experienced harassment, where last year, a man threatened to assault Stark at a remote home. They reported the incident to the police. As it turned out, the man has a history of assaults.

“I think for us to be women in business means we must be women of integrity and that our character shows in the quality of work we provide our clients. We must also be strong and advocate for ourselves but have grace and honour in all we set our hands and minds to do,” Stark said.

2 Old Maids also help with downsizing, assisting people with the decision of what’s worth selling, giving away or throwing out. They’ve cleared out homes with decades-worth of collected possessions or workshops filled to the brim, hauling things off to the dump or second-hand stores.

“Packing jobs give us deeper insights into a person’s personal life … Grieving widows, seniors, retired or currently working business professionals. We get to know our moving clients on a very personal level when packing up their lives.”

To learn more about 2 Old Maids, find them on Facebook by searching “2 Old Maids Packing & Cleaning Services.”


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Kim Kimberlin, Local Journalism Initiative

About the Author: Kim Kimberlin, Local Journalism Initiative

I joined Black Press Media in 2022, and have a passion for covering topics on women’s rights, 2SLGBTQIA+ and racial issues, mental health and the arts.
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