MAD LOVE MONDAY | Brandi Morpurgo - Daisy Chain Book Co
My name is Brandi Morpurgo and I have a confession to make: I have loved books and used bookstores all my life, sometimes more than people.
I have a confession to make: I have loved books and used bookstores all my life, sometimes more than people.
My name is Brandi Morpurgo and I have a confession to make: I have loved books and used bookstores all my life, sometimes more than people.
For as long as I can remember, books have been my escape, my delight and my companion. Readers are a special breed and bookstores can be a delightful reprieve from the fast-paced impersonal life so many of us experience.
I have worked as a stay-at-home parent, a Barista, a bookseller for a big-box store, a Social Worker at a Pregnancy Centre, an Adoptions Worker and a Foster Parent. When we stopped Fostering due to a failed attempt at adopting our Foster Child of nearly 3 years, my heart needed some comfort - I turned to books and a local bookstore. It was at this point that I began to resurrect an idea that has been brewing in my mind for many years: a mobile used bookshop. This always seemed like a bizarre notion, because I looked around and saw nothing like this... until I heard a podcast one day that reminded me "just because it doesn't already exist doesn't mean it SHOULDN'T exist", and I began researching the booktruck idea.
I loved discovering that my idea is actually an old one, when traveling peddlers would come into villages and towns in a horse-drawn wagon to sell their wares... and bookmobiles were borne out a desire to share books with people who were far from local libraries. This made my heart beat faster. These were my people.
Why do we have to pay so much for books? Why do we settle for an "Add to Cart" online shopping experience when instead we could connect with other humans, and share our love for books? Why do we support a culture of "must have new" when recycling what already exists is such a responsible and trendy practice? How can I blend my love for community with my love for stories? How can I inspire others to expect something more personal from their book shopping experience?
I had the answer: a Bookshop on Wheels.
Thanks to the remarkable generosity of my husband, Mark, who has a DBA and speaks the language of business and technology, we decided "Let's just go for it!". Our teenage daughters stand back, wondering what the heck has happened to their predictable parents. We began collecting inventory, bought the truck, and began to get ridiculously excited about creating an opportunity to share books with readers in the Edmonton area and smaller towns around Alberta who wanted a whimsical and innovative way to do something they had been doing on autopilot for years: book shopping.
So, here we are. Alberta's First Mobile Bookshop.
Being a business owner is so incredibly challenging, and finding the balance that every other glossy and flawless businesswoman seems to exude is difficult to attain most days. I often joke that if I am glossy it is because carrying a lot of books is quite the workout. I love that I get to call the shots. I work crazy hard, for really long hours, and when I rest, I rest HARD. I am so grateful to be able to bring the nostalgia of bookmobiles from our childhood into a new generation, and see the awe and amazement of people's eyes when they first see the inside of Daisy, our sweet little booktruck.
YegBossBabes is such an empowering and inspired collection of chicks who have one goal: to help female entrepreneurs succeed and feel like they are part of a team. I cannot get over how uplifting that is. Risking it all to go into business is hard. Being a booktruck pioneer in an industry where there are no businesses to model myself after can feel quite lonely. There isn't anyone who can say "Hey, fellow booktruck owner, I feel ya, come on over here and let's compare notes." It's just me. That makes connecting with YegBossBabes even more valuable.
I wanted to do something different, and I found a tribe of girls who are determined to succeed at the one thing they excel at, no apologies. How fabulous is that?? Every girl who sees a woman doing her thing her way learns that her own dreams are possible. If I can take books into neighbourhoods, markets, communities and create a magical experience for eager readers and provide something that kids are going to feel nostalgic about when they are older, I have accomplished what I set out to do.
It's not just about the books. It's about the people, the stories we share, and the memories we make as Daisy rolls in, shelves loaded with new and exciting reads just for YOU.
FB: www.facebook.com/daisychainbookco/
Insta: www.instagram.com/daisychainbookco
Twitter: www.twitter.com/DaisyChainBook
MAD LOVE MONDAY | Jacquie Duval - Plated Public Relations
Hello everyone! My name is Jacquie DuVal and I am the Director of Plated Public Relations, a Public Relations agency in Edmonton that specializes in the local food scene here in Edmonton.
Photo | @mattwalkerphoto
Hello everyone! My name is Jacquie DuVal and I am the Director of Plated Public Relations, a Public Relations agency in Edmonton that specializes in the local food scene here in Edmonton. My journey to creating my own business is similar to that of many young moms looking for balance.
Photo | @mattwalkerphoto
Back in 2016, I was on maternity leave with my first daughter, and the thought of going back to work full time after my leave was over terrified me. While I loved my career, I felt that a fundamental shift had occurred within me, and not only did I want more time with my daughter, I needed it. When my then job was unable to grant me a part time position upon my return, I decided to start my own business. At the end of my leave, I did return to full time work, and it was one of the hardest things I ever had to do. This only solidified my need for more of a work life balance, and after 5 months of working full time with a young one at home, I quit my job and decided to branch out on my own. Fast forward to 2019 and now I have two daughters and more of a balance between home and work. I only work 3 days a week, and spend the other two days with my daughters, while also trying to get everything done around the house that a mom needs to get done. (Can other mombosses out there relate?)
Photo | @roughley_originals
Why local food? I get this question a lot.
I have a passion for the vibrant local food scene we have here in Edmonton. Working with chefs, restaurants and local market vendors is a passion of mine. Don’t get me wrong, I do take clients outside of the food world as well. I specialize is content creation, including blogs, websites and newsletters. I also help businesses tell their story through social media and through traditional media. Finally, I offer spokesperson training and social media training.
MAD LOVE MONDAY | Taylor Fedor - Spruc'd Design Co.
I am Taylor, the creator behind Spruc’d Design Co. a collection of handmade signs and At-Home Sign Workshops.
Oh Heey there!
I am Taylor, the creator behind Spruc’d Design Co. a collection of handmade signs and At-Home Sign Workshops.
I try to focus on timeless/minimal designs that are able to fit into anyone’s home regardless of style/trends, with the hopes that these pieces will stay around for many years to come! Growing up I always enjoyed creating things, and as I got older it never really went away. As I entered that 9-5 work week lifestyle, I found myself unsatisfied and craving a creative outlet. It was then that I started playing around with my Silhouette Curio at the time. Before I knew it, my new creative outlet, turned into requests from friends and family, which eventually turned into customers from the community! It was then that I turned to some social media platforms to better showcase some of my work. Originally I began with instagram (my fave) and facebook, which I still use today, and eventually pinterest...not so much for advertising but to help spark inspiration for new designs.
Since then many things have changed, this year especially, I have set quite a few goals for myself. Personally, I am focusing on finding a better work/life balance, and building real relationships within the entrepreneur community. Currently I have yet to figure out this whole work/life balance schedule (has anyone though?)...So far my attempts have been to split up the steps in my overall process into different days of the week and to not do any business after 8pm (which I have been a little less successful with so far). Professionally, I am looking to really step outside of my box, by attending more networking event, getting better educated with my products/marketing and entering the world of wholesale...so holla at your girl if your looking for some new store product!.
Being an entrepreneur is like riding a rollercoaster at times, but I love it because it allows you to show people who you are in a fun creative way! If anyone tells you that being an entrepreneur is rainbows and sunshine all the time they are lying. It is hard work, and believe me, there has been countless times where I have thought to myself “Is this really worth it?”. I found the best thing for me (a rather new change) was to stop comparing my work/success to other entrepreneurs and just focus on myself and my own creations...definitely easier said than done, especially with social media these days. But I have found it makes those moments of reassurance just that much better. I’ll never forget my very first sale to a complete stranger! Don’t get me wrong, family and friend support is great, but you can’t help think they are just buying from you to be supportive haha. So when that stranger comes along, you just think to yourself
“HOLY CRAP SOMEBODY ACTUALLY LIKES MY WORK” haha, it’s honestly the most satisfying feeling ever!
If you have made it this far, thank-you for reading along and I sure hope I have not bored you to death! I am so very fortunate to be able to turn to a group of like minded people like YEGBOSSBABEs who are more than willing to help me get the information, and support I need to continue on my crazy ass journey of being an entrepreneur. So here’s to another year of creating, learning, supporting, and sipping(always have to make time for wine) with the amazing YEGBOSSBABE community.
“Creativity is intelligence having fun” -Albert Einstein