Town & Country

C M Y K C M Y K PAGE Z1 Editor: Pat St. Germain – pdstgermain@gmail.com Country Town M A N I T O B A & PEMBINA VALLEY Saturday, March 21, 2020 WINKLER RV manufacturer keeps on rolling PAGE 2 MORDEN Castle welcomes guests and wedding parties PAGE4 ROSENORT K-TEC Earthmovers Inc. has global impact PAGE 5 MORDEN Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum PAGE 6 What started out as a one-woman enterprise at small crafting shows 15 years ago has blossomed into a fully grown cosmetics business with more than two dozen people fulfilling specialized roles in its daily operations. W ith retail outlets in Mor- den and Winkler, along with an online boutique at pureanada.ca, the Morden company formulates, produces, manu- factures and distributes clean, toxin- and cruelty-free cosmetics. Founder Candace Grenier says she never anticipated how popular Pure Anada would become. Grenier's original goal was to raise money to fund the process of adopting a new member into her family. But word spread and interest grew. To her surprise, there was a real demand for the cosmetics she was making. "We service a particular client group who are very conscientious about their health and the environment," she says. "They are seeking alternatives to tradi- tional cosmetics and our goal is to provide them with an alternative that is beautiful, affordable, and locally made, and we want it to function as well as the products that they're used to using on a daily basis." The convenience of online shopping means the products are widely available, and the website also lists retailers who carry the line (Winnipeggers are especially supportive of locally made product). But Grenier also wanted to create a special experience in a dedicated boutique setting. "The most important thing about our store is the tactile experience where people can actually touch and feel our skin care and make-up lines and try them out, and have help from our staff," she says. "When people come into our boutique, I don't want them walking into just any cold retail environment — I really want to delight all their senses." The store features charming displays with vintage and antique pieces and relax- ing music as part of the atmosphere. "Our store even has a signature scent, very clean and pure," Grenier says. "When people who visit our store go down the street to have a coffee, the people in the coffee shop know right away that they've been shopping up here." Grenier says she's very proud of her staff and the way they welcome customers. "They genuinely love people and love to visit with our guests and that's a tribute, I think, to the warmth that people feel whenever they come in," she says. "Sometimes I look out my office win- dow and my heart just bursts with pride just seeing all these hard-working and creative individuals enjoying what they do — and they must tell others too, because I get applications and resumes in my office on a daily basis!" In addition to the two stores in Manito- ba, Pure Anada recently opened a boutique in Cochrane, Alta., and a seasonal outlet in Prince Edward Island. "I'm a huge fan of Prince Edward Island and Lucy Maude Montgomery, and I figured if there was a way that I could go there for work…," Grenier says laughing. This last Christmas, Pure Anada set up another seasonal boutique in town, featuring vintage toys and locally made Canadian items. "The Christmas outlet was a success, providing extra offerings in our small town because locally people are looking for different things, so we'll do it again next Christmas," she says. Grenier says the company has reached a stage where it can be more selective about growth. "The industry is just so full of opportu- nities, but we recognize that bigger doesn't always mean better," she says. "We've learned that the most important thing in business is working alongside people we can 'gel' with." Recently, a UK retail partner entered Pure Anada products in the Beauty Bible Awards. Stacked up against a variety of Eu- ropean brands (organic and non-organic), the pressed blush and pressed eye colour were awarded silver medals. While Grenier is pleased about the awards, Pure Anada's newest offering is much closer to her heart. The company is introducing Meseret's Adornments. (Meseret is the given Ethio- pian name of Leigh and Candace Grenier's adopted daughter.) The line of jewelry, ethically handcrafted from natural ele- ments, will be available online and in-store and will see 25% of sales donated to Abba Canada to help fund adoption resources for other families. business is beautiful C O S M E T I C S L I N E S D E L I G H T T H E S E N S E S BY WENDY KING MORDEN PHOTOS COURTESY OF PURE ANADA Company founder Candace Grenier was surprised and delighted by its success — and she's paying it forward by helping Abba Canada to support other adoptive families.

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