This is part of a year-long ‘Love for Local’ series called NB365: portraits of New Brunswick entrepreneurs, businesses and organizations. Huddle is a media partner with Love for Local. Today, we hear from Janis Downey of Cottage Chic in Saint Andrews.

AFTER MORE THAN 25 YEARS OF HIGH-TECH MARKETING IN OTTAWA, I HAD BEEN LOOKING FOR AN OPPORTUNITY TO RETURN TO CHARLOTTE COUNTY AND APPLY THE SKILLS I HAD ACQUIRED MARKETING GLOBAL CORPORATE BRANDS TO MY OWN BUSINESS.
Inspired by the relaxed cottage lifestyle so many New Brunswickers are familiar with, I created Cottage Chic, a boutique and vacation rental located in a newly renovated 1860’s building on St Andrews’ historic Water Street. Cottage Chic features a curated collection of Canadian-made products with an emphasis on those from New Brunswick and the Maritimes.

As a small business, we support other small businesses wherever we can – by carrying their products in our shop, by promoting other small businesses to our customers, by doing business at other small businesses, and by sharing our expertise and experience with them.

So many other businesses here provided me with help and guidance when I started out and for that, I am truly appreciative. Here in St Andrews, it’s a small community – everybody knows everyone, and we all support each other as much as we can. Our neighbour’s success is our success and the community’s success. It’s truly a welcoming and wonderful environment in which to do business.

When our customers purchase from Cottage Chic, they are supporting not just our small business but the small businesses we feature. The support of the community and the province especially this season and the last during the pandemic has truly been remarkable and illustrates that New Brunswickers care about the success of small businesses in their local communities and the province.

The summer of 2021 was our fifth season and despite the pandemic, it was our most successful season to date. With the amazing support of the local community and visitors to Saint Andrews, we plan to continually grow our product portfolio to feature more unique products from local talented artists, craftspeople, and entrepreneurs and to bring in products from across Canada that complement our cottage lifestyle brand.

Supporting local businesses has a real impact because you are supporting your neighbours and your friends and helping create community. You know the people you are doing business with and can see the direct impact of your support. By choosing to support small local businesses you are helping create the personality of your community by supporting unique and individual businesses that offer products and services personalized to the local communities and the people within them.