What was originally supposed to be a temporary home for the holidays has turned into a new permanent location and an aligned partnership between two thriving businesses: Living Local Marketplace has relocated to Horlings Garden Centre in Selwyn and both businesses are now open.
For 60 years, Horlings Garden Centre at 3056 Lakefield Road has been a popular destination for perennials, trees, shrubs, and landscaping expertise to liven up any outdoor property. Now, with Living Local Marketplace onsite, it is also a destination to find a curated selection of gifts and goods from local makers in The Kawarthas and across Canada, including candles, bath and body products, jewellery, gourmet foods, pottery, and much more.
“We were here for seven weeks during the holiday pop-up, and the message from our customers was loud and clear — they loved the location and wanted us to stay,” Living Local Marketplace founder Alicia Doris recalls.
“Existing and new customers who were discovering Living Local really loved the size, the accessibility, and the natural light of the space, and they talked about the shop as a destination. That was something that I’d never heard from my customers before. People came from out of town and that was pretty exciting.”
Horlings Garden Centre co-owner Sam Turner says she always saw the potential for the centre to become a year-round destination. With Living Local Marketplace now expanding on Horlings’ retail offerings found in the greenhouse, gift shop, and coffee bar, Turner says the new partnership and her “synergy” with Doris has turned that vision into a reality.
“That synergy is also felt by the customers, because it’s genuine between Alicia and myself,” Turner says. “I really want her business to thrive — I see the value that it brings to mine — and vice versa. I think people can feel the truth of that.”
In addition to helping Living Local Marketplace reach a wider market that includes tourists, the new location has given Doris more space to stock products that haven’t been on the shelves before.
“The additional space and the additional complement of customers allowed us to work with new artisans and small businesses in a more fulsome way,” Doris says. “It allowed us to support other small business people and that has always been my mission. It made our business more sustainable, but it also made many other businesses more sustainable.”
The move happened just as Horlings opened for the season and is taking on spring and summer projects including tree planting, custom planters and baskets, full-service landscaping, and property maintenance.
“Through this partnership with Living Local Marketplace, we’re hoping to be able to bring more of our services out there to the community,” says Turner.
For her part, Doris adds she’s excited to continue being a part of the team at Horlings and remains grateful for the enthusiasm shown by their customers.
“Horlings has great community support, Living Local has great community support, and people are genuinely excited to see this development and the growth of two small businesses,” says Doris. “We’re so excited for the summer.”
Horlings Garden Centre and Living Local Marketplace are now open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesdays through Fridays, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. Both businesses will be open seven days per week starting Thursday, April 30.
With the move to Horlings Garden Centre, the Living Local Marketplace store at Chemong and Milroy in Peterborough is now closed.
For more information on Living Local Marketplace, visit livinglocalmarketplace.ca. For more information on Horlings Garden Centre, visit horlingsgardencentre.com.
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