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Locally Made Morden
Posted September 21, 2019 by Array
#explorewhatwerefamousfor
Morden Addition
Morden is charming. With it’s cafe, restaurant, and shop-lined, streets, the sidewalk is often abuzz with friends and neighbors casually going about their days. Flags hang in shop windows, and flowers line the streets. This could be enough to make Morden famous, but what crosses zip codes and unites Morden with other cities, provinces, and countries lies in more than it’s amiable nature or sweet corn. It lies in all things locally-made-Morden.
Category: Beauty
Pure Anada Cosmetics
The owner of Pure Anada, Candace Grenier, started making her natural cosmetics in a coffee grinder, believe it or not. She crushed and mixed minerals, herbs, and oils in her own kitchen, small batch by small batch. She would leave behind trails of dust, bits of color, scents of lavender and lemongrass. In the end, she created makeup, a skincare line, and hand and body products, all with natural ingredients, many of which she sourced locally.
Pure Anada Today
Today, Pure Anada has grown substantially. There are two main storefronts: one in downtown Morden, another in Winkler. There are partner retailers throughout the US and Canada, and online sales spur shipments throughout North America. Pure Anada is thriving for a variety of good reasons. The products are Canadian-made and cruelty-free. They are free from common allergens and are crafted exclusively with nature-derived ingredients. More than that, the minerals used are ethically sourced. Pure Anada researches their supply chains and works directly with co-ops or mines to ensure that the people who have a hand in their finish products are of working age and are paid fairly.
When you visit the Pure Anada storefront, the air is bright and clean. The shelves are full but organized, and the aromas of essential oils mingle delicately with one another. There are bath bombs of different colors and scents in big, clear jars, and a makeup counter with a well-lit mirror. Greens hang from the ceiling. The staff is attentive but casual, and time spent feels more like being with friends than shopping. In essence, the space feels as positive as the products that line the counters. Though there is no coffee grinder on the counter, the roots that hold this small-town gem in place are worth sharing with the world, which is what makes Pure Anada a must stop when you #explorewhatwerefamousfor.
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Category: Hand-Crafted Furniture
Prairie Barnwood
Decades have passed over the pieces of lumber that make their way into the woodshop at Prairie Barnwood in Morden, where a woodsy smell, both fresh and ancient, hangs in the sawdust-glittering air. The walls are lined with pieces of fir, hemlock, pine, spruce, and cedar, which came from abandoned or disintegrating barns throughout southern Manitoba and Ontario. In the shop, each piece is brought back to life.
The hands that now pass over each wooden plank are skillful, yet careful, removing each left-behind nail. The clean lumber is then dried in a kiln to remove any moisture or beastie left behind by the sands of time that murmured over the wood’s grains in previous years. Each plank is given new form, expertly fitted into barn doors, tables, chairs, benches, or faux beams. The pieces are as unique as the structures they came from; knots, burrs, and nail holes are purposely left behind to lend character to the style of the pieces. The finished products are shipped throughout the US and Canada in a variety of colors, shapes, and sizes. They sit in kitchens or bedrooms, they are end tables and centerpieces, feature walls and focal points.
The business of restoration is about furniture, certainly, but it is also about utilizing the past to preserve what already exists. By restoring and using what would otherwise rot, existing forests and woodlands can be protected. The result is beautiful, ecologically responsible furniture that tells stories from Manitoba’s past, and sets the table for the future.
Visit Prairie Barnwood Online: