Invermere: Mama and Fawn Opens
A new children and toddlers store has opened in downtown Invermere called Mama and Fawn Children’s Boutique. Mama & Fawn Company is a collaboration of two sisters, Paloma and Ariana Stufano, who share a love for motherhood and family.
“We strive to offer ethical, high-quality products that truly do help in the roller coaster journey of raising our littles,” they say. “Our hope is to shine a spotlight on Canadian women-owned brands by making them more accessible to our community.”
The boutique caters to expectant mothers, new mothers, newborns, toddlers, and children up to age of six with high quality merchandise and brand names like cuddle + kind, earth mama and bambi and birdie. In addition to their new retail location in Invermere, they have a robust e-commerce website powered by Shopify at www.mamaandfawn.com
Cranbrook: The Blacks Come and Go
In recent weeks it was announced that David Black, owner of Black Press, was retiring from the newspaper chain he founded in 1975.
David Black grew the business to include more than 170 newspapers and 14 regional websites, serving communities and readers across British Columbia, Alberta, Canada’s North, Washington State, Alaska and Hawaii. Black Press owned and operated this newspaper, the Cranbrook Townsman, and many of the other community newspapers throughout the Kootenays.
Along with the retirement of David Black it was announced that Black Press had been sold to American interests, namely Carpenter Media Group along with the involvement of several capital management companies. At the same time, Black Press also filed under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act (“CCAA”) in a deal that would enable the company to restructure its financial affairs and prepare the impending sale of the company.
I remember when the Cranbrook Daily Townsman was owned by Sterling Newspapers, which was a division of the media empire of press baron Conrad Black. The newspaper was run by one of his colourful associates, David Radler. Both David Black and Conrad Black had a long and influential role of media ownership in the Kootenays for many years.
Sparwood: Dollarama Coming to Sparwood
A new Dollarama store is set to open in Sparwood’s Greenwood Mall. In addition to setting up the new store, Dollarama has been busy recruiting new employees for the retail location. They have been hiring a store manager, assistant managers and retail sales associates.
Dollarama opened 65 new stores across Canada during its 2023 fiscal year, which ended on January 29, and plans to open another 60 to 70 locations before the end of fiscal 2024. According to the company, Dollarama’s sales increased by 16.7% from fiscal year 2022 to over $5.05B. Dollarama has a long-term target of having 2,000 stores across Canada by 2031. Currently, there are 1,486 locations in ten provinces and two territories.
Dollarama was founded by third-generation retailer and Canadian entrepreneur, Larry Rossy. It all started with one store, in Matane, Quebec, in 1992, and quickly grew over the next two decades to become a household name and shopping destination for Canadians from coast to coast.
Cranbrook: Local Realtors Celebrates Top 2% Award
“We are thrilled to share some exciting news with you,” said Sandy Smith of the Sandy Smith Property Group. “We have been recognized with the prestigious Top 2% National Royal LePage Award. This achievement is a testament to the incredible partnerships we have built and the trust you have placed in us.
“We want to take a moment to express our deepest gratitude to each and every one of you who has contributed to our success,” Smith added. “Whether you are a valued client, a supportive member of our community, or both, your belief in our services has played a pivotal role in reaching this milestone.”
The Sandy Smith Property Group is part of the Royal LePage East Kootenay Realty Cranbrook office, and consists of associate broker Sandy Smith, Justin MacDonald and Phil Aston.
Congratulations Sandy and team!