Christa Sinclair’s creative way to share the important message of shopping local

April 17, 2020

2 minutes read

In a matter of months, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a far-reaching impact not only throughout the community, but across the province. However, Christa Sinclair, owner of Clementine Home Floral Gift, isn’t letting it slow her down. Instead, she has brought local business owners together in a unique way to share the important message of shopping local, especially during this time.

“At Clementine, we’ve had a pretty decent online presence the last year or so, but it’s just about re-creating and offering content that people want to see, as the challenge. A lot of our suppliers are now running into shipping and supply issues, so we’ve had to re-work and step out of our comfort zone, opening up our personal life a little more than we had before.”

That’s why, after spotting a few creative posts on her Instagram feed, Sinclair decided to recreate the idea. “I knew we had to create our own, plus, I missed seeing some of our customers and other local business owners. I also thought it’d be a great way to get our social media buzzing again!

Sinclair quickly reached out to a few local business owners and suggested they also extend the invitation to other businesses who might be interested in joining the project.

It turns out getting her idea off the ground was easier than she initially thought when her group of 24 quickly turned into a group of over 50. “Organizing it was quite simple; we communicated well over social media and set timelines for each step. Altogether it was completed in less than a week.”

However, this isn’t the only way Sinclair is keeping busy during this time; she’s been consulting and helping other businesses in town create their own websites, something she plans on continuing even once the pandemic slows down. In addition, she’s been offering LIVE Instagram Painting nights, which let people have their questions answered so that they can get started on their projects with confidence. “We also sell furniture paint at the shop, so we’ve been completing projects at home, showing others how easy it is to do.”

Sinclair is also offering pre-orders on lounging rompers which are perfect for wearing at home, and has brought in cozy sweaters with uplifting messages across the front such as ‘It’s Ok’ and ‘Be Kind’–reminders we all need right now!

“We are considering this time more of a challenge to step up our online game rather than a hindrance We have been closed since March 17th and were one of the first in town to do so. We have always offered curbside pick-Up and our regular town-wide delivery. We’ve just had to narrow it down to every Monday and Thursday morning for any online orders.”

As for what’s up next? “This project went over so well, and the response was really great. My brain just keeps thinking of other fun ideas, so you never know!”