With the ongoing threat of tariffs from the US, more than ever locals are looking for ways to support businesses as close to home as possible.
Local makers, artisans and sellers are creating everything from botanicals to housewares to microbrews, here in our own backyard.
From up-cycled fashion in the hills of Monteagle to locally sourced skin care products crafted in downtown Bancroft, we’ll be learning more about some of our local entrepreneurs.
Cedar and Company- ‘The perfect blend’
“I feel like the community has been rooting for us to do well, which has been lovely and heartwarming.” says Kylah Kussman of Cedar and Co. who, along with partner Lisa Mackenzie, opened the shop in early summer 2021, selling locally crafted organic skin care products.
“We have a little storefront, which we share with another business called Acorn Home and Apparel. In the back we have our work shop and everything’s created and dreamed up there and produced there as well.”
The popular store sells everything from skin care to wildcrafted teas that are blended and sourced by partner and herbalist Sarah Lawrence.
Kussman works on the store’s skin care line with Mackenzie who she refers to as ‘the scientist’.
“So we say I’m the artist and she’s the scientist…we are polar opposite in everything. We’re polar opposite in how we do life, polar opposite in every way, but that makes the perfect blend.”
Kussman says that it’s not just the content of the products at Cedar and Co. that are Canadian made.
“All of our labels, we always take care to use Canadian printers and everything. All our ingredients are from Canadian companies. There’s the odd occasion where we’re having trouble finding some packaging that might come from the States, but as much as we can everything is from Canada.”
We asked Kussman if she noticed an uptake in business since the threat of tariffs began.
“We’ve noticed a lot of people sharing our shop online and suggesting, you know, this is someone local and Canadian and small business that you can follow. And that’s been lovely.”
Kussman says it’s a kind of loyalty they’ve appreciated from the start.
“I feel like people in Bancroft want to see Bancroft be a welcoming, inviting place, so when they see new businesses opening, they’re supporting them because we want it to be a lovely place to live, so the more successful businesses the better.”
Cedar and Co. is located at 57 Hastings Street North.
They are open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday.
