23 Small Canadian Businesses To Support Right Now
Have some fun with fashion
Give your wardrobe a refresh with bold statement pieces and playful accessories from these innovative Canadian designers.
Fellow Earthlings
From their tiny seaside studio in Guernsey Cove, P.E.I., Fellow Earthlings’ wife-and-husband founders Sydney and Christopher Seggie have been making one-of-a-kind eyewear ( from $200) out of would-be waste material since 2015. Among their greatest hits: The brand manufactured the retro cloud-shaped sunglasses spotted on Anna Sui’s spring 2020 runway and recently collaborated on an all-Canadian line with eyewear boutique BonLook. (Oh, and Justin Trudeau also owns a pair, so there’s that.)
OkayOk
With so many graphic tees on offer (from $45), picking just one is impossible—though we’re partial to the seriously awesome Business Woman print. Bonus: The shirts are designed in the brand’s Toronto studio and are made from cotton milled in Montreal and— who knew?—Scarborough, Ont. OkayOk also makes adorable kids’ clothes, cozy sweatsuits, socks in dozens of hues and super cute custom-printed totes.
Biko
Gold, silver and pearls sound like a classic jewellery combo, but in the hands of Corrine Anestopoulos, creative director of Toronto-based Biko, the materials feel fresh again. Thanks to a sleek mix of metals and contemporary shapes, the brand’s pieces (from $65) instantly up the cool factor of any look.
Small Hours
Jenny Lien, the self-taught maker behind Toronto’s Small Hours, puts a cheeky spin on timeless leather goods. Each item is a testament to the brand’s minimal aesthetic, with Lien playing up shapes, colours and textures to lend her wares a little whimsy, too. We’re currently crushing on the stamped leather key rings (from $29), which are available in eight skin tones.
This Ilk
With earrings that combine brass, rattan and fringe, This Ilk’s latest creations are right on trend. “As a child, I wanted to be an inventor,” says Montreal-based designer Tamara Bavdek. Now, she finds pleasure in the creative process that goes into making her bold, feminine pieces (from $24).
Play up your natural beauty
Top-shelf finds crafted by small-but-mighty makers.
Cheekbone Beauty
Ever since launching Cheekbone Beauty in 2016, Anishinaabe-Canadian entrepreneur Jenn Harper’s mission has been to carve out a space for her community in the beauty industry. The brand also has strong social and environmental missions, supporting initiatives that address the Indigenous education funding gap and launching “less waste” products, such as a new collection of highly pigmented vegan lipsticks ($32 each) that are packaged in biodegradable paper tubes.
Crambé Skincare
What’s the next buzzy beauty ingredient to watch out for? If you ask the founders of Crambé Skincare, all eyes should be on Abyssinian oil. Daniel MacKinnon says he was amazed to learn that the Crambe abyssinica plant—from which the oil is derived—naturally grows in his home province of Prince Edward Island. It’s the sole ingredient in Crambé’s luxe face oil ($59), an intensely nourishing elixir that locks in moisture and leaves skin plump and hydrated.
Céla
Having spent 15 years at the helm of Toronto’s Hammam Spa, Celine Tadrissi knows a thing or two about skincare. Frustrated by what she considered to be a lack of luxury Canadian-made products, she developed her own with feedback from thousands of colleagues and clients. What started out as a kitchen experiment is now an 11-product range for hair, body and face. Tadrissi’s go-to? “Seed to Skin Scrub ($42)! It exfoliates without leaving the skin dry,” she says.
Luna Nectar
Mia Fiona Kut, founder of this B.C.-based skincare brand, wants to help streamline your daily ritual. After launching the much-raved-about Moon Boost lash serum ($75) in 2017, Luna Nectar now offers a curated range of 100 percent natural and cruelty-free products, including the Heliophilia Glow & Fix Serum ($68), which Kut uses daily to boost her natural glow.
Huna
Winnipeg botanist Heather Urquhart’s plant-based formulas are like superfoods for your face. The bestselling Revitalize Age-Grace Face Serum ($88) is packed with rosehip and sea buckthorn berry to revitalize and protect skin.
Anto Yukon
To create her line of body oils, bath salts and small-batch soaps, Whitehorse-based Kym Rempel sought inspiration in the Yukon’s wild landscapes. Her bar soaps ($10 each) are made from locally harvested ingredients and wrapped in stunning illustrations by B.C. artist Meghan Hildebrand.
Parva Fabrica
Montreal boutique Ramacieri Soligo—a destination for ceramic tile—also dabbles in personal care. Parva Fabrica, the brand’s in-house label, offers products in bottles that beg to be displayed. This hand soap ($29 each) is a delicate blend of rosemary and olive essential oils.
Fluff your nest
A funky art print for your home office. A cute hand-painted mug for your morning coffee. A scented candle that brings back memories of sunny days. Making a house a home is all in the details.
Shayna Stevenson
In her Toronto studio, Shayna Stevenson makes joyful ceramic mugs ($50) and planters (from $65) that pop with artful swipes of colour and abstract patterns. Her cheerful designs are sure to brighten up your mornings—after all, it’s a truth universally acknowledged that the first sip of the day tastes better out of a cute mug.
Glass Bookshop
This airy, Edmonton-based independent bookstore is dedicated to promoting local authors and marginalized voices. Also on the shelves: CanLit-inspired items designed by local makers, including a slogan tote ($10), literary tea towels ($20) and postcards that celebrate Alberta writers, such as Joshua Whitehead, Titilope Sonuga and Lisa Martin ($3 each).
Brook Drabot Glass
Soft, rounded shapes and pastel shades lend a warm and nostalgic feeling to Brook Drabot’s delicate creations. The colourful bud vases (from $15), hand-blown in her small home studio in Warren, Man., are a stylish way to display freshly cut spring blooms or sprigs of fragrant eucalyptus.
Baltic Club
Located in Montreal’s trendy Mile End neighbourhood, this charming shop—filled with stylish notebooks (from $6), greeting cards ($6 each), art prints (from $20) and patterned wrapping paper (from $4)—is a stationery lover’s dream. We also love the line of printable colouring pages available for free online right now.
Hudson + Oak
A wow-worthy planter is an easy way to give a room a fresh new look. Vancouver-based Hudson + Oak’s hand-painted pots (from $100) come in modern shapes and neutral tones, making them the perfect vessels for cool cacti and fabulous ficuses. The brand’s signature blush hue—millennial pink’s more refined counterpart—is a crowdpleaser, according to founder Sarah Henderson. “It holds a special place in my heart,” she says, adding that it took around 15 tries to get the colour just right.
Xenia Taler
Toronto-based designer Xenia Taler set out to create home and lifestyle wares that blend form and function. “The intention is to create everyday products that are elevated and aspirational, but also accessible and contribute to a sustainable society,” she says—and to which we say, mission accomplished! These retro-patterned bamboo plates ($48/set of 4) are a stylish way to cut down on plastic waste.
Treat yourself
Small indulgences are clinically proven to buoy spirits, especially when they also support local businesses.
Drizzle Honey
Calgary-based Drizzle works with a cross-Canada network of beekeepers to source raw honey—packed with enzymes, vitamins and minerals—for its classic, cinnamon-spiced and superfood-infused spreads. Want to try this much-buzzed-about (ha!) brand for yourself? We love the Taster Trio set ($20), which includes three 80-g pots of white, turmeric gold and cinnamon-spiced honey. (Fun fact: Arlene Dickinson from Dragons’ Den is an investor in this all-female-operated business.)
Rousseau Chocolate
Chocolatier Julien Rousseau has been hand-making treats from his Halifax boutique since 2014. Single-origin bars ($8 each) that showcase the unique terroir of faraway places, such as Ecuador and Ghana, are just a starting point; Rousseau’s sweet lineup also includes macarons, caramel spreads, chocolate-dipped artisanal marshmallows and more.
Lightfoot & Wolfville Vineyards
Not sure about you, but our wine intake has increased as of late. In search of something new? Nestled in the heart of the Annapolis Valley in Nova Scotia, this family-owned, certified organic winery produces around 12,000 cases a year. The 2014 Blanc de Blancs Brut sparkler ($39) and the 2018 Terroir Series Riesling ($26) are favourites; membership in “Wine Club” means you’ll receive quarterly shipments of three limited-edition Lightfoot & Wolfville bottles, sent straight to your door.
Saltspring Kitchen Co.
On B.C.’s charming Salt Spring Island, self-proclaimed Sauce Boss Melanie Jean Mulherin makes sweet and savoury jams and preserves ($12 each) that make a perfect complement to cheese and charcuterie boards. The most recent addition to the lineup is a collection of three hot sauces ($30/ set) that combine unexpected flavours, like orange, curry and habanero.
Monogram Coffee
Looking to upgrade your at-home coffee game? Calgary-based Monogram ships its freshly roasted and beautifully packaged whole beans (from $20). If you’re having trouble choosing from the brand’s impressive bean offering—descriptions for which include information about the men and women who grow them—Monogram also offers a customizable subscription program (from $40) that lets you sample different flavour profiles each month.
Editor’s note
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