As we gear up for the end of a very full-on year, we’ve been enjoying working with LOCO BC on their annual BC Buy Local week campaign (by creating graphics like the one above).
We love supporting LOCO BC and it’s always a great reminder to live our values through our purchasing power. Especially now, after catastrophic floods, unprecedented fires and this world-wide pandemic, it feels even more important to support the people who work within our communities (and not pad the wallets of billionaires elsewhere). It’s a small thing we can all do to shift our impact.
Our team at Backyard Creative loves to shop local and have shared some of their favourite businesses to inspire your holiday gift giving traditions. As our team is all over Western Canada, I’ve organized their recommendations by community.
Vancouver
- Earnest Ice Cream – worth a stop every time (and we’re currently working on their new website…!)
- Rath Art Supplies – all the creative tools
- Pulp Fiction Books – right beside Rath, and best bookstore in town
- Fife Bakery – sourdough bread someone else makes… yum…
- Agro Roasters – they have one of the best deals for mail order very good coffee, our go to since the pandemic started
- Donald’s Market – such a great selection (lots of dairy-free and gluten-free options) with lots of local products
- Balance Botanicals – love picking up tea here, and you can make your own blends too
- Gilligan Girls Flowers – I have picked up some of my favourite planters here
- Welk’s General Store – Love the selection here, lots of stuff for the home
- The Coast Goods – Really well-curated store with gift items and lots of home decor/accessories
- Giving Gifts – Filled with work from local artists and designers, you’ll find Cheryl’s Quirky Paper Co. greeting cards here too (or just purchase from her site directly!)
- Luminous Elephant Studios – art classes near Granville island hotel
Lower mainland
- Sinfully The Best – chocolate store in Steveston
- Wild Sweets – also a chocolatier, in Richmond, bit of a theme…
- Forever Yours Lingerie, (Langley & Burnaby) best place to get a well-fitted bra that’s both pretty and functional. Very body-positive business!
- Sweet Spot – French patisserie in Steveston
Nanaimo
- Strong Nations Publishing – their storefront closed during the COVID shutdown, but they still have a warehouse in town you can pick up orders you made online or have them shipped (and they have all of Laura’s books!)
- Pumpkin pie – best kids store for backpacks, shoes and clothes
- Kool and Child – best kids store for toys / games / puzzles
- This ‘n that – seriously everything in this place you’ll want to bring home with you
- Windowseat Books – great Canadian content and recommendations from the store owner
- The Refillery – bring your refillable containers for shampoos, beauty and cleaning supply refills, also great collection of zero waste lifestyle products (and they’ve just opened)
- Island-ish – sells mainly local goods and products from all over Vancouver Island
Nelson
- Zinnia Textiles – beautiful ethical and high quality crafted clothing (you’ll see Keiko is also a model for them!)
- Nelson Stitch Lab – an inspiring and tantalizing selection of fabrics, notions and sewing books – a maker’s dreamland
- Kootenay Coop – our local member-owned natural food grocery store where I can shop with confidence knowing that their values reflect my own!
Ucluelet
- Central West Coast Forest Society (CWFS) – great merch at the non-profit shop for salmon habitat restoration
- The Foggy Bean – the best coffee makes great gifts
- Zoe’s Bakery & Cafe – yummy bakery, you can order online and they do cakes / events too
- TUCG (Tofino, Ucluelet Culinary Guild) – island/lower mainland sourced, weekly box program
Comox Valley
- Comox Valley Farmer’s Market – local veg, bread, flowers, meat and more.
- Cumberland Bakery – amazing croissants and donuts for sharing
- The Spool – a fabric store and workshop space with classes (also Sarita designed their logo!)
- Local Refillery – zero waste grocery store
- Love’s Ice Cream – worth the line up
Edmonton
- Ch Cafeteria – favourite spot in my ’hood, amazing coffee and chocolate straight from Mexico!
- Woodshed Burgers – Our family just discovered the BEST burgers in town
- Farrow – The best sandwiches in town
- The Prints and the Paper – an awesome locally-owned gift shop with a corner dedicated to Wes Anderson’s films!
- Jacek Chocolate Couture – my fave chocolates on earth – so beautiful and make a great gift
Alright, now no excuses! Join us and prioritize shopping local this holiday. Also, look for and share LOCO BC’s buy local week campaign starting on November 29th.