with tight restrictions and very few vendors. MacNeil took the opportunity to work as a full-time vendor that summer which made a huge difference for her brand. Being a regular vendor and always ensuring high-quality products was noticed by regular marketgoers, and they got to know her personally in the process. With overall online shopping increasing during the pandemic, her online store started picking up as well. By the summer of 2021, more people were travelling and attending markets. MacNeil launched her Coastal Collection, which brought fresh, bright colours and more of that Cape Breton familiarity to her customers. From mid-October to the end of December, MacNeil’s brother-in-law was available to work a pop-up store for her while she continued her full-time job at Dalhousie University. She worked in the pop-up store on the weekends, which turned out to be a remarkably successful venture. MacNeil decided to launch a Makers and Bakers Pop- up weekend series at the store. This would highlight local bakers and help showcase their products. The Makers and Bakers launch also resulted in local customers coming back to the store to see something new and exciting on a regular basis. After a successful pop-up store, MacNeil was ready to start considering a permanent location. She had her heart set on a location in Inverness, her bookkeeping company was willing to go the extra mile in helping her work on a business plan. After months of planning, figuring out finances, and trying to locate the building owner, the right connections led her to secure the building. The previous owner loved her plans for the store. Her brand, quality, and inclusion of other local artisans sealed the deal for him to sell to her. “Everything fell into place in a
“Most of my professional advisors throughout all of this have been women, and absolutely stellar, incredible people.”
54 SPOTLIGHT MAGAZINE ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE • VOL 24 ISSUE 5
SPOTLIGHT MAGAZINE ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE • VOL 24 ISSUE 5 55
Made with FlippingBook - Online catalogs