Tell us about your company:

Naturally Canada was originally founded in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia in 2015 by myself and my then partner, Greg Conyngham who is no longer with us, but was inspirational in our early days and will always remain in our story! In 2016, when I relocated to Charlottetown, I established the Naturally Canada website.

The idea for the company began with research in sourcing Canadian sustainable designers and manufacturers of natural products, focusing on sustainable fibres and fair-trade efforts in answer to the harmful impacts of 'fast fashion' on our environment.

The intention and goal of the company is a need to encourage slow fashion; a wardrobe full of great quality, comfortable, yet stylish pieces that will last a lifetime rather than a closet of synthetic materials that will end up in landfills after a short life span. 

The company is intended to diversify and include global brands that are really making a difference in producing environmentally friendly, low-impact fashion and related products, that do no harm.  It is committed to helping small businesses and supporting local artisans. 

It supports One Tree Planted, CarbonClick and advocates for The Ocean Clean-up.

Have you experienced any unexpected surprises since starting your business?

Yes, trying to decipher and implement all the necessary marketing channels and understanding the tech side of your business is a constant surprise at which the speed things can change!

What have your successes been?

We have received a steady increase in Canadian companies with like-minded views on fast fashion contact us for collaboration which has lead to a steady increase in traffic to our website and a keen interest in our blog 'the movement'.

How has COVID-19 affected your business? Has it changed the way you operate? Taught you any important lessons?

In December 2020 we closed our retail shop eco.spirit.emporium in the Confederation Court Mall when our lease expired. Our new website launched in April and we have just started offering our products in a seasonal Pop-Up Market running every Wednesday - Saturday from 10:00 am - 4:00 pm at our office located at 15 Macausland Drive in Charlottetown.  Customers may also schedule an appointment outside of those hours by calling 902-790-6323.  The Pop-Up Market will also be open this Sunday (May 23rd) from 11:00 am - 3:00 pm for the long weekend.

Other than COVID-19, what challenges has your business faced and how have you overcome them?

The challenges are many for any small business.   Keeping current with trends and yet staying true to yourself and your beliefs is so important. Building a strong customer base and nurturing this is key. Knowing who your customer is and marketing to that audience is the single most important area of your business. We have begun to overcome and understand this process and are now in a much stronger position.

 

For more information, visit:

Naturally Canada  Website

Naturally Canada Facebook Page

Naturally Canada on Instagram

Natural Canada’s Blog - the movement