If you were to ask me why the KEYLET? What does this mean to you personally? What’s the purpose of this keychain business?
I honestly wouldn’t know where to begin.
But I’m going to start.
I shared a little bit in my last blog post (the KEYLET is born, if you haven’t read it) about how this was about me, and for me.
And there’s certainly no denying that.
I think most business owners, especially creative ones, can relate to this!
There’s a passion there. A creative outlet wanting to be expressed. A purpose. A determination. A vision. A goal. A mission. A dream.
But the KEYLET is about so much more to me, and the best part about this journey, has been seeing what it in itself has taught me! Because let me tell you, there is a lot to learn if you are thinking about starting your own small shop!
It’s funny what you think you know.
There is no denying that we’ve all been forced to adapt in ways unimaginable over the past year. And I choose these words wisely because despite hardship, despite loss, despite all the uncertainty & fear, this too has taught me many great life & business lessons I am now able to take forward with me.
I have always valued local businesses - My mother was a local hairdresser in our community growing up; My fiancée is the proud owner with his business partner of an AutoGlass company here in Kelowna & Penticton. The list is very long of the many small local shops & businesses I am directly associated with or have supported over the many many years.
But it wasn't until the pandemic hit that I actually was able to reassess ALL my shopping habits - and despite all my previous effort to support local, I knew I could do better!
It is a pretty eye opening moment when you come to realize your daily shopping habits have not been effected, yet small shops and businesses are closing their doors around you. I realized pretty quickly I had more convienence to click & shop at Amazon then any local business around me ... because most of them were closed at that time.
This got me thinking back to my ECON classes, and I might not know much in that department but I knew this just wasn’t a longterm sustainable solution. Small businesses I depended on daily were closed. Yet our glass shop was opened, and our business was deemed essential ...
Let me tell you, does this ever put a spin on your perspective for small businesses! Talk about GRATITUDE!
And so, I share this with you all because the KEYLET Official isn’t just my baby nor is it just my passion. And don’t get me wrong - I can’t wipe the smile off my face when I’m in that studio. Creating the KEYLET is EVERYTHING & more.
But I share this with you because without even a seconds thought I knew that this endeavour had to be a space that highlighted other local Canadian shops! This had to be a space that was committed to not only just their own brand and their own product, but a space that was dedicated to sharing the love for all the incredible small shops around me!!!
Already I am SO incredibly blown away by the connections I have made & the shops I am falling more addicted to each day, and proudly, am able to support!!! Here is a few of my FAVOURITE shops so far:
@vintage.timber I am SO excited to be able to showcase the custom pieces they are making for the studio coming straight from CALGARY - essentially a peg board design but chic, and a place for all the KEYLET inventory to hang and be pretty! STAY tuned for more as I share (I may have also splurged on a wooden bath tray, and am eyeing up their toddler chair and table set ... SO CUTE!)
@cedarave.candleco I discovered the most magical candle company based on VANCOUVER ISLAND. Not only are her scents to die for as I sit and craft and pack your orders but each candle has a cedar wick - if you have not burnt a candle with a cedar wick you need to run now!
@boxitokanagan Between running a short term rental business and now being the proud owner of the KEYLET, chaos is an understatement when it comes to invoices, receipts and all the rest. SO thankful I discovered this incredible local company here in KELOWNA who makes custom boxes, that you can cart on the go, to file all your important documents!!! They can come pre labeled, saving you so much time & effort! Just pop away and file!
@robinkcraft I have not purchased from this KELOWNA shop yet, but if only she saw the wish list growing. We are planning for an entire condo gut this fall at our rental & I've been "pinteresting" hard, saving tons of images I look forward to having custom made for the condo to cozy it up & make all our guests feel at home!
Hope you enjoy checking out a few of my new favourites!
XOXO,
Brittney
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