Introducing BoxMarket - Shop. Eat. Local. Fresh [General]
2014 Jan 25
This sounds kind of like the Marche Outaouais- exept it is a real store where you can walk in and buy stuff.
I order from www.marcheoutaouais.com or MRSO , the only "problem" is you have to pre-order your items by monday night and pick them up on the Thurs or Fri only from 3-8pm...
But it is really quick to get stuff and you can get the same meats and produce that local restaurants serve (like le coprin mushrooms, even in a "mystery bag" that is on sale....:)
I order from www.marcheoutaouais.com or MRSO , the only "problem" is you have to pre-order your items by monday night and pick them up on the Thurs or Fri only from 3-8pm...
But it is really quick to get stuff and you can get the same meats and produce that local restaurants serve (like le coprin mushrooms, even in a "mystery bag" that is on sale....:)
2014 Jan 27
Zymurgist - Actually not locally. However I have made several connections in Montreal and China.
Some links here;
www.storagesystems.ca
www.atscontainers.com/
But my real suggestion would be, to introduce yourself and your project to my Design lead - Keith Dewey at Zigloo.ca
He is a great guy - check out his home in BC :-).
PrettyTasty - I have never visited the Marche...I shall. Thanks.
The idea with this one, is that there are a few "Anchor" stores in Butchery, Bakery, Fish/Seafood, Cheeses, etc...they would occupy it year round.
In addition to that, there will be many single "Shopboxes" available to minimal cost to smaller local producers during their busy seasons, where they will be highlighted through the Market's website - much like Marche's actually.
At any rate - if either of you could visit and join the FB page or Meetup Page - it would be appreciated. Every little bit of support helps this come to fruition. Thanks for commenting!
Some links here;
www.storagesystems.ca
www.atscontainers.com/
But my real suggestion would be, to introduce yourself and your project to my Design lead - Keith Dewey at Zigloo.ca
He is a great guy - check out his home in BC :-).
PrettyTasty - I have never visited the Marche...I shall. Thanks.
The idea with this one, is that there are a few "Anchor" stores in Butchery, Bakery, Fish/Seafood, Cheeses, etc...they would occupy it year round.
In addition to that, there will be many single "Shopboxes" available to minimal cost to smaller local producers during their busy seasons, where they will be highlighted through the Market's website - much like Marche's actually.
At any rate - if either of you could visit and join the FB page or Meetup Page - it would be appreciated. Every little bit of support helps this come to fruition. Thanks for commenting!
Emulsify
This all started when I was looking for a second location for Emulsify - The Oil & Vinegar Experience.
I wanted to bring an Artisan store such as this closer to many of my friends and family in Barrhaven. I began looking at locations and quickly became frustrated with available options. Vacancy was limited, but worse, the locations were all the same - a little plot in a big, bland, sprawling "Smart Centre".
It was the same formula over and over. A national bank, loblaws/metro, dentist/chiro, nails etc., PetValu, Shoppers (now loblaws ;-0), etc.
There were no "Foodie Destinations" like we are lucky to have in Urban neighbourhoods; such as Wellington West, Glebe, Market, New Edinburgh, etc. Everything was dominated by National Chains!
I know how us savvy small business owners think...we all have a better chance at success if we set up near like-minded and complimentary businesses. But the suburbs, just don't have that culture yet ;-(
Think about it: Its not like the 120,000 residents in Barrhaven, don't WANT access to the same wonderful Artisan Stores that we are lucky to have (Harvest Loaf, Piggy Market, Parma Ravioli, Lapointe as an example)...They just don't have a CHOICE! Its Metro or Loblaws. Thats it.
Don't get me wrong, Loblaws is not the enemy....I shop there...its just that it IS NOT THE SAME as; a knowledgeable butcher who dry-ages their beef or sources from a local Bison producer, a local artisan baker who specializes in Gluten-Free or Sprouted Grains.
So I decided to create one. And BoxMarket is born:
www.facebook.com
@theboxmarket
www.boxmarket.ca
The design incorporates Re-purposed Shipping Containers, makes use of Renewable Energy Sources (such as PV) and is 100% focused on supporting Local Producers and Small Businesses to provide Ottawa (and eventually Canada) a new Agri-Food shopping experience.
But I NEED YOUR HELP. Projects like these are certainly better designed when the community (residents, consumers, producers and business owners) are involved.
There are significant challenges to be sure;
Competing against large national chains, city planning and zoning, financing...etc. But they are not insurmountable when a whole community gets behind a project. So please - BE A FACTOR - join us in DISRUPTING the status quo. Let's give our city - and the nation - a new concept for a Destination Food Retailer. Focused on LOCAL PRODUCERS, SMALL BUSINESSES and a smaller ECO-FOOTPRINT.
HOW?
Meetup with us;www.meetup.com
Contact me directly; chris@boxmarket.ca
Like and Share the FB page; www.facebook.com
Essentially - GET INVOLVED. We can do this.
Thank you for listening, act now!