All in Retail
“The main challenge for me was sorting out how to make consistent, beautiful, good quality bread on a large scale. Before opening Nat's Bread Co I had only made maybe 10 loaves at a time in commercial kitchens. As soon as we opened the bakery, I was doing bread for all 3 of Stephen Beckta's restaurants, which put us at 60-80 loaves per night. It was a big adjustment with a lot of failed loaves!”
“Ottawa as a city has been incredibly supportive, from messages on social media just letting me know how much people love to see what I’m building to loyal clients and customers, the city has really come forward and made it clear that they want to support small businesses!”
“ From the day we opened our doors we could not keep up with demand. In order to work the hours required we created a Fun environment that persists today. If it is not fun we don’t do it. We have fun making our beer; fun selling it and we hope that people have fun drinking it.”
“The best part is how receptive the city has been! We love to see all the friendly faces that come through our door and the online sales throughout North America.“
“Cheerful is my natural state - it just makes sense that my little store is the same! ”
“I've always had a love of sweet treats since I can remember. It's hard to pinpoint when I actually started baking... My passion for food in general really started when I became vegetarian about 15 years ago. It forced me to start thinking about food in a different way. A few years later I became vegan and suddenly found that I couldn't eat pretty much any baked good! I had a choice….”
“From the moment I designed that first card in 2016, I wasn’t creating something to give to friends and family for fun, I already had this idea of selling them on Etsy, at the very least. I was accepted in my very first craft market that same summer and I was scared out of my mind. Working really hard on something is one thing – but working really hard on something and then getting people to pay actual money for it, that’s another ball game. My goal was to sell enough to pay for my vendor fees and I DID”
“I would LOVE to embroider an album cover for Portugal. the Man. They have been my favourite band since about Grade 11 so I think that would be really cool. I enjoy how each album has a different vibe/sound so you can always find something for whatever mood you are in and they were one of the best artists I've seen play live ever (and I've seen a loooot of concerts!).”
“It’s been a wild ride over the last 6 years, and I’ve loved every minute. I’ve been able to meet so many creative and inspiring people in this city, and have been very grateful to share and teach what I know about painted furniture and Chalk Paint.”
“Actually, it's been a long time dream... then an opportunity came up and I seized it. I wanted to created a small café where my two daugthers could have their first little job. I had read a book (fiction) about the life of a family growing up in Italy in 1950 or so. One of the character's name was Biscotti... I thought it sounded nice for a café :) ”
“After many years working individually in the Social Services field in Ottawa, Karen and I met over our last job posting where we worked together to home the chronically homeless supporting the ‘housing first’ model.”
“ We both have been working towards living zero waste. It's been a 6 year journey for me and 2 years for Valerie, of course, with its ups and downs! We opened the store with an idea of having a one-stop shop for zero waste shoppers like us to make this lifestyle more accessible and convenient.”
“I am a daughter to two dentists so growing up I always thought I was going to study dentistry. As a child I always excelled in Arts, as well as Science.”
“I am a Communications and Marketing professional, so just like any industry, it’s expected to keep on top of trends and tools. I use my personal channels to test, explore and become an expert in the field. “
“ I graduated from the Industrial Design program at Carleton University which is the reason for my relocation to Ottawa back in 2009. I fell in love with this city and stayed ever since!”
I do all sorts of random things; from playing volleyball, to training my dog, learning how to sew, going to craft shows and events with friends. I’ve got quite a large family to visit back home!
“Major science nerd & total mom. Love dark chocolate, my husband’s hugs, music & working hard.”
“I’m originally from Winnipeg, first generation immigrant from Poland! My whole family was born there, I was the only one born in Canada.”
“I host craft markets 4+ times a year, popup shops (this is our third, soon to potentially be a permanent spot), and workshops with local makers. I’d love to get into learning, doing business classes for makers and networking for creatives.”
“The perfect day for me outside of being at the shop would be to sleep in till about 9; get in a good workout; grab a delicious brunch, have an afternoon nap, not cook dinner and not open my laptop to work. This usually happens on a Sunday and I cherish that day of the week.”
