As spring approaches, I see our community placing their focus on self care & wellness and I thought this would be a great time to feature a brand who specializes in this world.
This month we are featuring our stockist, Leaf & Root Wellness Market. Based in Sydney River, Nova Scotia, Leaf & Root Wellness is not your average health and wellness market. They offer helpful wellness products, share educational resources and ideas and offer a variety of products that inspire self care.
I took time to connect with Allyson the owner of Leaf & Root, she shares some amazing small business advice, health and wellness tips and highlights some amazing products Leaf & Root carry. Read on to dive into our small business chat!
Farrah: What inspired you to start your health and wellness brand?
Allyson: I worked in an industry for 10 years (off and on between having my kids) that was far from the holistic industry. I always had an interest in holistic wellness, but after having my kids and working in the industry I was in, I lost touch of that side of me for a little while.
It was when I turned to alternative care for myself that I knew that I wanted to become certified in this industry so I could be able to help people feel better as well.
Farrah: So how do your products and services help promote overall health and well being?
Allyson: First and foremost, I am a holistic nutritionist + herbalist and I work with clients to help them work through various health issues by focusing on nutrition and lifestyle changes. The majority of folks that I work with are looking to improve their digestion, balance hormones or really just want to feel a sense of overall wellness.
I also carry a wide range of nutraceuticals and herbal remedies at the store, when these are combined with nutrition and lifestyle changes it can really have a positive impact on someones overall health and well-being.
Farrah: What makes your brand unique compared to other health and wellness brands in the market?
Allyson: One thing that I really pride myself/my business model in is education. Whether that is product knowledge, not the kind that comes from the companies that sell the products, but actual evidence based research as well as consumer education.
Another way that I like to help educate my customers is by only brining in products (specifically, my food products) that are made with real ingredients. The wellness industry has an ugly side to it where they like to take advantage of the consumer and promote products as “healthy” when in reality they really not the best for you, this is called health washing or green washing if it is for household and beauty products and I try my best to avoid these products … even if they are the latest trend.
I also think people enjoy the fact that when you walk into my store it is not cluttered and overwhelming like most health stores can be. There are SO many products that I could have just because they are available, but I choose to bring in quality products over jamming my shelves full of “stuff” that are sub-par quality. It is very bright, open, organized and of course, aesthetically pleasing to look at 😊
Farrah: Can you share any success stories or positive feedback you've received from customers?
Allyson: I have the best customers anyone could ask for. Since I opened my doors in October 2021, I constantly hear “I am so happy you are here” and every time someone tells me that it affirms that I am right where I should be. Everyone who comes into the store also loves the smell 😂, it really does smell good in there! I’m trying my best to bottle it up...maybe we can collaborate on that and make a candle that smells like my store!
Farrah: Is there a self care trend you are seeing this year that you can tell us more about?
Allyson: Yes! There are many, but I would say one of the biggest trends is limiting alcohol consumption. A lot of people are realizing the burden alcohol puts on your body and it is becoming a lot more common for people to consume non-alcoholic beverages.
There are some really great Canadian companies that are doing an amazing job at making drinks that “mock” some of your favourite alcoholic drinks sans alcohol!
Farrah: Can you recommend any health and wellness practices or tips that align with your brand's philosophy?
Allyson: I think one of the biggest things to remember is that wellness looks different for everyone, when a lot of people start on a wellness journey of any kind ,it is easy to get discouraged if changes do not start to happen immediately or something works for a little bit then stops working.
We always meet people where they are at on their wellness journey in a completely non-judgemental environment. One of my best tips is to start with small changes, if you add too many things at once, it can become overwhelming which makes it easier to give up on and resort back to what you already know.
I hope you all enjoyed reading our small business feature blog post, Leaf & Root Wellness is one of our stockists carrying Canapa Candle in Sydney River, Nova Scotia. They specialize in health, wellness and self care and are a respected source for wellness in our community.
I love shopping local and if you are in Cape Breton Island, be sure to pop in to Leaf & Root next time you are in the Sydney area. You can also checkout Leaf & Root on social
here.
Cheers & stay well,
Farrah | Canapa Candle
