CANORA – Elsie Barnhardt, the owner of the new Secret Siren gift shop in Canora, says she has been interested in art ever since she was a youngster growing up in Squamish, B.C.
“I enjoyed being by myself among the trees and water, drawing and sketching.”
The Secret Siren is located on Main Street, just north of the First Avenue corner. Barnhardt carries her own artwork but is also focused on marketing the creations of other artisans from Canora and the surrounding area.
“The store is compiled mainly of handcrafted items,” said Barnhardt. “I’m looking for people with a unique niche, something that you might not find anywhere else.”
Barnhardt scheduled the soft launch of The Secret Siren for June 1, giving her a chance to gauge the response of the community.
“We plan to serve hot dogs, have face painting, see what type of items we are carrying draw the most interest. We’ll also have a feedback box, which we’ll leave up for a while to see what people want to see in the store.”
Depending on the response and how things go in June, Barnhardt is targeting an official opening with fulltime hours on Canada Day, July 1.
The types of items Barnhardt is carrying include: bottles, key chains, journals, books, jewelry, specific Canora products and even car fresheners where you can add your own scent.
“I’m hoping to bring in more practical items for men,” she said, “right now my clients are mostly women. I’m planning to cater to kids as well with things like hoodies, T-shirts, keychains, baby bonnets, toys and candies.”
Barnhardt said she takes pride in the fact that by working with consignors, she’s eliminating the middleman/wholesalers.
“It’s been a great experience, I’ve pretty much been learning with the consignors as we go. They have been really uplifting, we’ve become a neat little community.”
For her own artistic endeavours, Barnhardt said she creates products according to her moods, including: epoxy and sublimation tumblers, journals and keychains, among others.
“My biggest seller is probably the 3D hand sculpted tumbler. I really enjoy working with clay, when I can find the time.”
The Secret Siren has already established a strong online presence, leading to sales right across North America.
Barnhardt said she appreciates the help she’s getting from partner Josh Caesar, sister Britany, and friends Mel and Missy, who is also a vendor.
The Secret Siren name grew out of Barnhardt’s somewhat hidden previous online presence.
“It’s been a good fit, working with consignors who are also artistic people,” said Barnhardt, adding with a smile, “It also helps that I have a fascination with mermaids.”
This is not her first step into the business world, as Barnhardt also owns a nail salon in Yorkton called Mystique Nailz.
She plans to continually evolve the new Canora business as time goes on and has some surprises in mind for customers, but those are still in the planning and research stages so stay tuned.
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