This month I'm thrilled to feature a locally owned, mommy-run, green business. Go Green Baby is a beautiful store with lovely atmosphere and an eco-friendly conscience. Over the past few months, I have had the pleasure of spending time at the gorgeous new downtown location, getting to know the owner, Natalie George and her two children.
The birth of Natalie's son, Kohen, prompted her interest in cloth diapering. She and her husband realized they could save money while benefiting both their newborn and the environment. Unfortunately, cloth diapers weren't readily available in the community. Natalie did eventually find a local business selling cloth diapers, but her interest had been piqued! She began to contemplate the idea of opening a business that catered to like-minded parents and offered hard to find eco-friendly baby products.
In March of 2008, Go Green Baby was born in the garage of Natalie's west end home. Four months later Go Green Baby expanded to a retail location, serving environmentally conscious families across Kingston.
More recently, Go Green Baby has relocated to Division St., downtown Kingston where it is fast becoming a hot spot for mummys all over the city!
Q & A with Natalie:
Jill: You used to teach French, what made you decide to give it all up and open a baby store?
Natalie: Teaching has always been my passion and I hope to one day return to the education sector. However, once I gave birth to my son, a change passed over me. The desire to create a healthy, safe and natural home inspired me to open a business that met these needs. I really wanted to be able to provide other families with the products and services I was seeking within the community but was unable to find.
Jill: Tell us about your new downtown location. How are you using the space?
Natalie: Our new downtown space is fantastic! It has a comfortable, relaxed and calm atmosphere. The goal of the new space was to make Go Green Baby more interactive and community focused. We are hoping that moms, dads and babies will be able to connect, share and experience natural parenting together here at our space. We were a small island floating around in the midst of an ocean in the west end. Downtown we are amongst a community of like minded businesses and individuals - ones that search for local, hand made, natural items.
Couches and comfy chairs make the space comfortable for breastfeeding and chatting with other moms and dads. We have also introduced a complimentary cafe! Moms, dads and babies can use our space to meet with friends and enjoy a cup of coffee, tea and local baked goods (usually delicious cookies from Wolfe Island Bakery).
The Birth Matters Speaker Series will be held at our space this coming fall as a way to introduce alternative parenting practices to families across Kingston. We are also hosting the Breastfeeding Challenge here October 2.
We don't want this space to be about us, we want it to be about moms, dads and babies!
Jill: What is your favorite part of your job? Most challenging?
Natalie: My favorite part of my job is getting to meet so many new moms and babies. I love to chat and share experiences with other moms. I truly enjoy being able to share my experiences and knowledge of cloth diapering, babywearing and natural parenting with other moms - and know that they too have the same vision.
The most challenging part of my job is definitely the business aspect - marketing, advertising, bookkeeping, accounting, you name it. I have no formal training in running a business and as a result have had difficulty trying to maintain the economics of the business. Seems strange to be running a business and not knowing how, but we manage and focus on our customers, products and services.
Jill: What inspires you?
Natalie: Easy, my children and husband. They inspire me to be a better mother, lover and citizen.
Jill: Do you have any favorite products in the store? Baby or Mama must-haves?
Natalie: Do I have to pick? I love them all! But for myself, here are some of my faves:
Mother-ease one size diapers (two thumbs up from JIll!!)
Peppa Bonding Dolls
Bravado Nursing Tank
All Things Jill Sweet Dreams Bodywash
Ergo Baby Carrier (three thumbs up from Jill!!)
Moby Wrap
Natalie is also organizing, and hosting, the Birth Matters Lecture series with Laura Gifford and myself. The first two weeks have been fab! An awesome gathering of females (and babies) from all over the city.This Thursday night I will be doing two lectures: Childhood Infections and Prenatal Nutrition. If you're interested in attending, give Natalie a call at : 613-344-0390
Hope to see you there!
Hey Natalie, thanks for picking the Mother-ease One Size as your fav diaper!
ReplyDeleteBuying green products is a great way to inculcate environmental awareness in children. And I guess its the need of the day having seen the rate at which global warming is constantly rising.
ReplyDeleteTeaching children to go green