Barrie Through The Seasons 2016 Recap
Last article for the series 'Barrie Through The Seasons,' courtesy of the talented Penelope J. Morrow.
Barrie Through the Seasons; December 2016
It all began at Bo, Bohemia that is, the
perfect spot for lunch, tea or an energizing jolt of latte, with chalkboard
witticisms served on the side. Creativity brews here, in hindsight it was fitting
that Erin Corcoran and I held our first business meeting in the place that embodies
the local love that is downtown Barrie.
Readers of this review know Erin; her name
is synonymous with Simcoe County Shop Local, an initiative she began two years
and over 50 video interviews ago.
Erin’s support for local was seeded much
earlier; riding alongside her mother on sales trips, where she saw live, it was
the support from small independent shops with their loyal shoppers that supported
her family’s livelihood, not the large chain stores, her mother soon learnt to
avoid them.
The lesson stuck, as now it is independent
businesses that Erin lends her focus and enthusiasm to.
Erin Corcoran runs her real estate business
from referrals, with most clients coming from outside the county; she knows the
benefits of directing those clients to independent local businesses within their
new community.
We know the facts on these benefits; we
know the statistics about how the dollars spent locally in our city, drives the
local economy. We see the social benefit, the building of a strong, palpable sense
of community. We feel how the development
of relationships that come from supporting local enriches the very fibre of our
lives and in turn creates a richer community.
I champion for local with my words.
From our collaboration I created the series
of reviews called Barrie Through the Seasons, which are posted on both the Simcoe County Shop Local website and my own website. The monthly reviews were designed
to encourage community awareness in support of local, downtown focused events,
businesses, restaurants and shops.
In January 2016 we resolved to continue our
support of local, by bringing attention to our beautiful city for her new
clients and for those new to the joy of shopping and supporting local. We hoped to inspire readers with our support
of local.
During the busy month of December I had
engaging conversations with two individuals who Erin met through her Simcoe County Shop Local initiative, I wanted to discover what supporting local means
to them and how it impacts on their lives and business practices.
Erin Corcoran and Cherlynn Michelizzi of
SophistiCakes met to discuss a ‘mud bath’, a creative design for a birthday
cake, featuring cute edible pigs basking in chocolate mud, neither knew that a
custom cake order would set their friendship.
‘Being a home based, small local company
helps me out tremendously, as my business is based on referrals. I want my
customers to be pleased and to refer people to me. The biggest part of my
business is referrals. I was actually Erin’s first video for her Simcoe County Shop Local’.
Cherlynn shared that she shops local as
often as possible. ‘I use a local supplier to buy bakery supplies; it’s called ‘How Sweet is That? It’s an online bakery
supply provider run by a woman named Sherry Potter. My eggs come from a local
farmer nearby’.
Cherlynn explained that it’s all about
having a reciprocal relationship with local, the family’s favourite neighbourhood pizza
place runs adds on the back of their flyer supporting local businesses and in
return, when its pizza night, that’s where they order from. ‘You get to know people, when you are going
into a place and seeing the same people, talking to the same people, so you
know there is a face behind who you are supporting, I think it makes all the
difference when it is family owned. It makes it personal and you start to make
friends’.
As Cherlynn states, it’s ‘about give and
take’. Being part of a community means contributing to that community. Since
meeting Erin, they have volunteered together many times for C.O.P.E. Service Dogs, a worthy cause they both support.
I enjoyed learning that #locallove exists
in the suburbs of Barrie.
Doug Bedard, aka Plex is a man of many
talents filled with kinetic energy, a Videographer for Wylie Ford, a hip-hop
artist and a producer. Erin was working on a project with his wife, Jennifer
Podemski and subsequently Doug became a wonderful friend, or as he describes it
‘we like each other’s stuff on Instagram daily’.
When I asked Doug about his support of
local business, he defined it as ‘supporting businesses within the community,
trying to pull away from the corporate element, rather than going to Walmart, trying
to support a local shop in town’. This set him off with a veritable list of
names for every need a family could have! I was duly impressed with his commitment
to shop locally.
Shops, restaurants, medical practitioners,
naturopaths, I’ll drop a few names he shared; Avōco Bar, Urban Dish,
Kenzington, Crazy Fox Bistro, Unity Market, Fork and Plate. Food shopping for
their home is often done at Nicholyn Farms, while Smart Moves Play Place and
Vertical Zone are both ‘go to’ indoor play spots for their small children.
‘As I mentioned, we do tend to eat out more
than we probably should, so we do eat at more local restaurants as opposed to
fast food joints. Another spot we love is Tara on Dunlop. They serve authentic
Indian cuisine and they're great’.
Supporting local took on a deeper meaning
for this family as their commitment to health included finding local
naturopathic practitioners when they moved to the area. Doug shared how
thrilled they are with the providers; they are pleased to recommend them to
contacts both locally and in Toronto.
Art is a much valued commodity, supported
also by their shop local lifestyle.
‘Typically I would say art is where we
would stay local with; we purchase art as gifts for others. We are very tied
into the art scene, not just locally but spread out across the country, because
there is so much beautiful artwork coast to coast when you think of the
different nations, Indigenous Nations. For me personally I think it’s about
supporting local business and trying to make them your first choice’.
‘I was always connected with those types of
local businesses as a kid; I always felt I was treated better. If I go into
Walmart there’s not someone that knows my name. I like being recognized and
appreciated by a local business. It seems the smaller you go the better chances
are that happens.
Supporting local has reciprocal value, for
everyone involved in the transactions. The social value is immeasurable.
For an active, engaging Realtor®, the
ability to provide community feedback to her clients is a plus; having it all
on her website, a convenient service. Erin
reports she has ‘started to notice more and more people asking me for ideas on
where to eat, shop, play etc. I enjoy
them thinking of me as a go-to’.
Supporting local is a commitment to your
community and it comes with rich rewards.
It has been my pleasure bringing you Barrie
Through the Seasons, as 2017 unfolds, let’s continue to support local together!
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