“We were inspired at an early age by our father who was also in the restaurant industry. He owned and ran one of Ottawa’s earliest restaurants - The Gondola. ”
Muckleston & Brockwell - Andrew & Lindsey
“The support that we’ve seen has been tremendous. The welcoming we received from the area has really been the best part. We have so many regular customers and friendly faces who pop in to say hi, grab a steak or two, or even drop off samples of their delicious creations they've made using our meat. “
Free Form Fitness Inc. - Ashley
“Anything worthwhile takes work. Trusting and leaning on your people, especially those that want to be part of the growth, is crucial because you can't do it all. Being able to adapt to change was always very important for me personally and professionally.”
Town & Citizen - Marc & Lori
“ We love to support Elgin street and Ottawa as a whole wherever we can....food, drinks, suppliers, art, music, culinary talent, other businesses...Ottawa is a really great place to be a part of for the variety of things we can tap into.”
Katye Landry Designs - Katye
“I was born and raised in Toronto and went to school for Radio and TV broadcasting – this was a great path for me at the time, because it allowed me the opportunity to tap into my creative side. I’ve also always been a bit of a DIY’er, which is how I fell into jewellery. I saw a bracelet online that I wanted to get my mom for Mother’s Day and thought, ‘I can make that!’ After one trip to Lee Valley Tools and a local jewellery supply shop, I had made it.”
Vitality Physiotherapy & Wellness Centre - Andrew
“While in University I played Junior hockey which is what influenced me to pursue physiotherapy as I had the background in sports and science. I always said “If I couldn’t make it in sports, I can help those who can.”
The Leading Note - Gary & Tina
“The foundation of the creation of The Leading Note and OrKidstra actually began when we bought and renovated our first – and only – home. We did everything together – completely gutted it down to the studs, re-wired, re-plumbed, built an extension +++ We did 95% of the work ourselves and realized we worked well together!”
Tomo Restaurant - Nara
“Before the restaurant industry I was in retail which is not a far stretch since it is also a service industry. You name it, I probably worked there. A lot of my customer service and sales skills could attribute to those retail years.”
Shoebox Studio - Samuel
“I always say “the photograph chooses the paper” or the more holistic “let the image tell us what it wants to be on”. This is a way of saying that not every paper/medium is suited for a particular image. As a printer, I want to create a print that communicates an image’s message as effectively as possible. Things like texture, warmth, brightness all come into consideration.”
Gift Studio - Dasha
“As a kid, you’d always find me getting my hands dirty with glitter — crafts were my life. When the time came to choose a career path, I decided to go to uOttawa and study Marketing at the Telfer School of Management.”
Café Latte Cino - Susan & Sam
“From the very first time we visited the Cafe years ago we knew it had great potential. Personally, I knew we would be able to take it all to another level with our skills and our creativity. I’ve always told my kids that by the time they were old enough they each would be running their own Cafe Latte Cino’s.”
Johnny Farina - Dino & Anthony
“Anthony and I have been at it for 21 years. (October 27th 1997) we’ve been fortunate to have fantastic family support starting from our wives. Over the years, several family member worked with us also, today my son is with us, and two cousins. I’m sure there will be more to come. "
The Ministry of Coffee - Alex & Fadi
“Our favorite part of this industry and Elgin st is the fun and unique people we meet, who come in every day and make us smile, and become part of our family. “
East India Company Restaurants - The Mehra Family
“We roast and blend our own spice blends and for years people would ask mom and dad for a little bag so they recreate some of our flavours at home. For years it went on like this, but then about 12 years ago, we made some packaging for the spices and started selling them in the restaurants. The response was great and then Nitin approached Farm Boy about carrying the whole line. “
Scrim's Florist - Susan
“Can you imagine a better location? The windows, the neighbourhood, we have a great landlord, and sooooo much space. Scrim's is a landmark used by folks when they are giving directions. I love sweeping the front stoop and chatting with folks as they walk by. “
The Urban Botanist - Emma
"Ask for help when you need it. Your friends and family will be the glue that holds you and your business together in the beginning. I also learnt that even if you don’t have a background in accounting, graphic design or marketing that you will eventually gain one through self teaching haha. That’s a real learning curve to owning your own business, it really requires you to be the Swiss Army knife of all trades."
Black Rabbit Studios - Ashley
“I have always loved to read and watch stories. I recently found a box of old sketchbooks full of stories and comics I made in my childhood. So the need to imagine and bring stories to life has always been an underlying drive of mine! Nature and the natural world is a big inspiration to my artwork, I find natural organic forms fascinating to draw.”
The Third - Ashley
“An urban sociologist, Ray Oldenburg, coined the term “the third”. The First place being your home, the Second place being your job and the Third place being a gathering spot for all.”
Nat's Bread Company - Natali
“The main challenge for me was sorting out how to make consistent, beautiful, good quality bread on a large scale. Before opening Nat's Bread Co I had only made maybe 10 loaves at a time in commercial kitchens. As soon as we opened the bakery, I was doing bread for all 3 of Stephen Beckta's restaurants, which put us at 60-80 loaves per night. It was a big adjustment with a lot of failed loaves!”
Functional Reclaimed - Phil
“Ottawa as a city has been incredibly supportive, from messages on social media just letting me know how much people love to see what I’m building to loyal clients and customers, the city has really come forward and made it clear that they want to support small businesses!”