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6 Friday, July 20, 2018 brooklintowncrier.com A Special BTC Feature Brooklin Home-Based Businesses: Variety and Success By Richard Bercuson If you were to do an internet search of home businesses, you'd discover a wide array of information about how to run one, which franchises are best, the dos and don'ts, and how to even get started. None of this information would point to Brooklin as an example of a thriving at-home industry, one where people are making a success out of making and selling jewelry, roasting coffee beans, selling art, carving bowls from dead tree trunks, making bath bombs and more. Indeed, soup to nuts, without the soup or nuts. Why this has taken hold in Brooklin is best left to a more detailed analysis. Is it because this is a relatively young and well-to-do community? Are people tired of the time and expense commuting to a job? Is there a burgeoning entrepreneurial spirit here? Whatever the reasons, the fact remains that Brooklin's home businesses are not only succeeding locally but also well beyond the region's borders. Each owner's story is deserving of much more space. However, the BTC has chosen instead to give readers a taste of what some of your neighbours are up to. (Editor's Note: The Brooklin Town Crier does not endorse any product or vendor listed here.) CGL Woodworking Chris LaPine chris.lapine@rogers.com 905-449-8496 Be patient when you order a carving from Mr. LaPine. He scavenges for chunks of dead trees, does a rough out of what he wants, then lets it dry "naturally" - for about 18 months. So made to order requires a bit of a wait. Which is why this wood carver has a large inventory of completed projects ready to sell. All you need to do is see them. His is not a business per se, he claims, but rather a hobby. You can view his bowls, plates, rolling pins, bbq scrapers and other carvings at local events like Harvest Festival. His love for hands-on work began in grade 7 after taking a shop class. Now a technical consultant with Rogers, he spends much of his free time in his home shop and sells enough to pay for new tools. If you're looking for unique hand-carved designs or kitchenware, contact Chris. Contagious Designs "In the last two years," Melanie says, "the business has blown up." She means in a good way, as in seven days a week and even enlisting her husband's help to keep up with demand. During the day, she works with special needs people at Community Living Oshawa/Clarington. In the evening, from about 4 pm to midnight, it's making Contagious Design a going concern. Her little company makes and sells handmade jewelry, 80% of which is created by her. Sterling silver pieces are made in Italy. "I think a lot of our success has been because of our customer service," she says. "That and Brooklin Moms. They've made me successful. They post pictures and write great reviews on social media." Her products are also available in retail stores like Whitby's Words on Wood and Newcastle's Lil'Bit Country Store. As for the curious business name, one day a friend who'd bought one of her pieces said to her, "I love this stuff. It's so contagious." So there you have it. Melanie Kalnitsky contagiousdesignscanada.com Info@ContagiousDesignsCanada.com https://www.facebook.com/ContagiousDesignsCanada/ Instagram:@ContagiousDesignsCanada Driftwood Decor For nearly four years, Lora has run this online business that features "100% Organic Soy Wax, All Natural Handcrafted Canadian candles." Like so many people running home businesses, the reality of being tied to someone else's schedule finally reached its nadir with the birth of her third child. Needing to be home more and with her "wheels always turning," she decided to get into the decor business. As a result, her basement is the storage depot for her products and customers are constantly dropping by to pick up orders. She's even shipped to Australia. She works with an experienced candlemaker and graphic designer while she handles the blends and sales. Her products, which have been featured in magazines like "Cityline" and "Vitalize," are also sold at various pop-up stores. Inkpen Studios Emma Inkpen emma@inkpenstudios.com www.inkpenstudios.com Facebook: @inkpenstudiosdesign How do you know when a graphic designer is busy? When, by their own admission, they're too busy to update their web page. Such is the admission from Brooklin's best known graphic designer and artist, the person who created the logos for many of the businesses listed in this article. Emma Inkpen had worked for various Toronto graphic design agencies till parenthood declared the 9-10 pm arrivals at home as unsustainable. She turned to freelancing and, in the nine or so years since then, has created a wide and deep local niche in the art and design world. Perhaps best known for creating Whitby's Remembrance Day banners, Emma is first and foremost a corporate graphic designer. Still, the work she enjoys the most is designing for small businesses, like those in Brooklin. "I love doing those," she says, "because you're not branding a corporation but a small business that's specific to them." Her parents brought her to Canada when she was just 15. An "outdoorsy" family of skiers and campers, they sought more opportunities. Here she's found them with her design business. While painting and drawing are more for her own sake as an outlet and not as a living, her work has appeared most everywhere: at Ribfest's Whitby Art Show, the Tom Thompson gallery, Artfest and more. Lora Currie www.driftwood-decor.com 96 Carnwith Drive East Lcurrie@driftwood-decor.com Instagram: @driftwood_decor 905-668-6085