Renovations are always full of questions: floor plans, layout, tiles, fabrics and finishes…Which is why we’re all about following designer Alison Milne as she goes through the process of a huge remodel. Here’s an update to her renovation diary.
Shop Tales
After attending the same university, living on the same street, and having their first babes 6 weeks apart, the next logical step for besties Julie and Katie came naturally: going into business together. And lucky for us, the culmination of their efforts has resulted in August Kinn, a super-pretty baby and toddler store on Toronto’s Danforth Avenue, that stocks mainly designed-in-Canada nursery and toddler items, accessories and nursery accents, and even a few things for mom.
If you’re a lover of the simple things in life, you’ll fall for Fancy Gray Designs. Founded by husband-and-wife team, Lydia and Alan, Fancy Gray Design is a modern line of jewelry focused on timeless and simple design, but at friendly (read: affordable) prices.
At Love, Mom we’re obsessed with good-for-you beauty brands, especially ones created by like-minded mamas. With the focus on using plant-based ingredients, Toronto-based Graydon Moffat created Graydon Skincare, a luxury beauty brand whose message is about making healthier choices — inside and out.
Tenth Moon Mothercare began in 2014 and is Canada’s first postnatal care package company. Lindsay Forsey’s maternal health-based packages include spa-friendly items like lavender mineral salts and red raspberry leaf tea (all personally made and packaged by Lindsay) but it’s the not-so-sexy items—organic prunes and organic cotton maternity and breast pads—that are the real-deal new moms need.
Queen Books is what happens when two besties get together to do something wonderful (hmm, we at Love, Mom can relate). Co-owned by Alex Snider and Liz Burns, the pair recently opened their bookstore in the bustling ‘hood of Leslieville in Toronto. With many independent bookstores shuttering their doors, it’s a bold move.
Welcome to a new series on the blog, Shop Tales, where we profile cool stores that we love and the people who brought them to life. Online shop modernrascals.com, founded by mom of two, Jana Reid, sells bright, bold and unisex must-haves for your mini-me’s. Jana also makes sure that the clothes she sells are organic and from ethically-minded companies (they provide workers get a living wage!) practicing sustainable fashion.
Now, I’m not the type to D.I.Y. (my husband is the doer of home-made chicken stock in our household), but after a recent walk-by to Rowan Homespun Market, I left so inspired that I almost signed myself up for a kombucha-making class (PS: it was full). What came over me?