Archive News from Digital Main Street

Today, we are featuring Aws Abdullatif, owner of PB and J YYC, located in Calgary, Alberta. PB and J YYC is a haven for peanut butter and jam enthusiasts, offering freshly ground nut butters and delicious panini grilled sandwiches. Recently, PB and J YYC expanded their offerings to include meats, cheeses, and delicious chocolate treats.

In the midst of the pandemic, Heather Stark and her husband moved Willow Home, their home decor and furniture painting shop in Walkerton, into a space three times larger than the one they’d spent the previous two years in. “Quite a few people shook their head when we decided to expand during the pandemic,” admits Stark. The move only put the business – which both sells paints for DIY projects and offers furniture painting services – a block and a half further into the town’s centre but it boosted their business exponentially.  

People who visit The Green Gecko boutique in the quaint village of Lyndhurst often leave with stories. Sometimes those stories come in the form of unique decor Terri Dawson and her husband Peter have found during their travels throughout South East Asia or handmade goods they’ve sourced from local artisans. Sometimes it’s just an exchange about the stunning Victorian home they’ve converted into a small gift shop.

Misty Gibson-Traynor spent months chipping away at her digital strategy and website while running The Loop, the downtown Kincardine fashion and gift boutique she owns with her husband.

But it only took a few days – through the province’s decision to order non-essential businesses closed during the COVID-19 pandemic – to make that digital strategy The Loop’s lifeline to its customers. 

McGee’s Landing was supposed to be Sharon Richard's retirement plan, a simple gift shop in the old part of downtown Stoney Creek where she could transition from the years of teaching entrepreneurship and working with small businesses to running something of her own.

Creemore artist and entrepreneur darci-que does everything. Really, no exaggeration. She does everything. Of course, there’s art: “I draw every day of my life.” But there’s also the Hillview Cellars Winery shop. And the series of children books she’s written. And QUE balloon bouquets. And darci-que cakes. And the princess party planning. And the bed and breakfast. And the greeting card line.

Carol Lacher had been working as a manager at a kitchenware shop in downtown Oakville for 15 years when the owner announced she was retiring.

As one of the longest standing businesses in the Bloor West Village area, Marlborough’s has become a symbol of Bloor West Village’s continuous innovation amidst the changing retail environment.