There’s never been a more important time to support the businesses you love in your neighborhood. No matter where you are in the world, you can help local places through your contributions as Local Guides. This week is Small Business Week in Canada, a celebration led by The Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) for the past 40 years in support of Canadian entrepreneurs and their contribution to Canada’s culture and economy. To help kick off this year’s event, we wanted to recognize some incredible small businesses that Local Guides love there and highlight recent changes they’ve made to continue serving their communities.
Teatro Verde
Teatro Verde is a luxury florist in Toronto’s Yorkville neighborhood. Over the past 24 years, they’ve established a loyal customer base but the pandemic had an immediate impact on the company and they needed new ways to serve their community. Through the ShopHERE powered by Google program, owners Shawn Gibson and Michael Pellegrino were able to quickly set up an online store for free and promote new services for shopping in-person or online via delivery and curbside pickup.
Saint Lou’s Barbershop
Saint Lou’s Barbershop has fostered community (and great haircuts) in Halifax, N.S. for years. When the pandemic hit, they quickly needed to shift their walk-in-only business model to a more organized, appointment-based system for physical distancing and customer safety. Owner Rob Oxner quickly implemented the “book online” feature on Saint Lou’s Google My Business profile, and says most customers now book appointments online.
Little & Lively (The Kindred Clothing Co.)
Carmen and Jordan West from Abbotsford, B.C., are the duo behind The Kindred Clothing Co. and their family and baby clothing line, Little & Lively. This year, they’ve seen sales increase as more people shop online and turn to “retail therapy.” The couple call Google Shopping their “magic bullet” for e-commerce, allowing them to reach people actively searching for their products.
One Arrow Meats
One Arrow Meats is another beloved business in Canada. Cree-Métis chef and entrepreneur Heat Laliberte’s hand-cured artisan bacon is a staple at Vancouver-area restaurants, farmers markets and grocery stores. Orders have quadrupled during the pandemic and Laliberte quickly needed to find ways to delegate some of his day-to-day responsibilities across the team. They turned to Google Workspace with collaborative tools like Google Calendar, Drive and Meet to help team members stay connected.
In honor of Small Business Week in Canada, we encourage you to write a Google review of a nearby place, no matter where you are. Learn more about how you can give help this Small Business Week here.
