Step inside Blackbird & Co. Mercantile on Barlow Avenue, and you’ll discover a beautiful store filled with items that are good for your home and your heart, such as candles, soft blankets and unique jewelry.
Keep walking to the back of the store, and you’ll also discover delicious coffee and homemade desserts.
The store, which is located at 123 Barlow Ave., opened at Christmas-time, while the coffee bar at the back of the store opened just after Easter.
The store offers a variety of home décor items, as well as mugs, candles, plants, purses, greeting cards, blankets, scarves and jewelry, including many Canadian and locally-made products. Many of their products come from small-batch, independent businesses.
“Most of our products, we try to source them ethically,” said employee Sarah Lynn.
The front of the shop is pet-friendly, and Lynn says they are hoping to do a meet and greet with animals from the animal shelter who don’t get a lot of socialization.
They also plan to host a variety of events and workshops each month.
The back of the shop is a relaxing coffee and dessert bar, featuring drip coffee and tea, cappuccino, latte, espresso, mocha and hot chocolate. The dessert selection includes homemade cookies, ice cream and cakes.
“We try to be creative with the desserts we have,” said Lynn. “We have more specialty desserts coming for the summer and specialty drinks.”
Lynn says they are going to be adding an outdoor patio, hopefully by mid-June.
Lynn says they are trying to make Blackbird & Co. Mercantile an inviting and peaceful place to shop and relax.
“It’s very aesthetically pleasing,” she said. “I think we’re trying to make it fun, and it’s a chill place to work and to come and get a coffee.”
Lynn says the Nova Scotia Fisherman skin care products have been popular since the store opened, and customers also seem to really like the purses and candles.
With a focus on Canadian and local, owner Paola Valoroso says she would like to represent northern B.C. communities as well, and she is interested in hearing from northern artists and crafters who are looking for a place to be represented. Anyone who would like more information can contact her at blackbirdandcomercantile@gmail.com.
Blackbird & Co. Mercantile is open Tuesdays from 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.-ish, Wednesday to Friday from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.-ish, and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.-ish. The store is closed Sundays and Mondays but will be open this Sunday (May 12) from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. for Mother’s Day. For more information, find Blackbird & Co. Mercantile on Facebook.
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