Archive News from Digital Main Street

Within the first few months of opening Vital Roots Nutrition in Sault Ste. Marie, Jordan Dubie quickly noticed a link between her social media and her practice.

For Jessie Yun, florist and owner of The Florium in Toronto, flowers are a part of her identity.

As a pharmacist, Alan Tonna built his career working for major pharmacy chains. However, a revelation during the pandemic shifted his mindset surrounding what a pharmacy could be.

Over the past 25 years, Kenora’s Kenon Builders has grown from a small, residentially focused general contractor to an industry leader tackling large-scale commercial projects.

For seniors in the Lindsay area, Silver Lights Senior Services feels more like family than service. “Our staff don’t just go in, give you a bath and then walk out, they spend the time getting to know the clients and building that trust and friendship with them,” says Susan Fisher, managing director of Silver Lights Senior Services. “We’re kind of like extended family for a lot of clients.”

Nicole Hudson and her mother Carla took over Katarina’s Coffee Shop, a local favourite in Prescott, in the first summer of the pandemic. “We definitely had a vision in mind,” says Hudson. “For the first few months, we were just feeling it out – especially during COVID when it was only takeout.”

In a small studio off Highway 7 in the hamlet of Shakespeare, Stephen Beaumont’s Chok. Fine Chocolates blurs the line between art and chocolate. From his commercial kitchen, Beaumont carefully combines Swiss, Fair Trade Chocolate with hand-made fillings – sourced locally when possible – into small batches of unique bonbons and other chocolate creations.

Using the $2,500 Digital Transformation Grant, Brendan McDonald has been able to invest in digital marketing and tools to help make Dryden’s Boreal Audiology clinic more tech-forward.

George received a $2,500 Digital Transformation Grant for his business, Return of the Dragon, and received training to help boost his digital skill set.

With a background in finance and a foundation in marketing through courses he took in university, the Knyota Drinks owner was able to plot out a digital strategy for his new physical location. However, he saw an opportunity to audit his approach when he found out about Digital Main Street, a program combining grants and one-to-one support from the Province of Ontario alongside partners to help main street businesses strengthen their online capabilities and plan for the digital future.