Business Out of the Box

There's so much happening in Barton Village this summer, and one of the most exciting things is the Business Out of the Box project! Have you had a chance to turn out this retired shipping container turned retail space yet? It's a sight to behold even when closed thanks to the gorgeous exterior mural by Kayla Whitney at KOE Design, and its doors open up to reveal an equally beautiful selection of handmade goods by local makers.

Business Out of the Box began as a collaborative effort between YWCA Hamilton, McMaster University's Office of Community Engagement, and the City of Hamilton,  with funding from the Trillium Foundation. Along the way, they brought on additional community partners to help shape the vision: LeafBox Concepts provided the shipping container and supervised the building process, and St. Matthew's House provided a location for the project. With support from the YWCA, thirteen local women -- makers and entrepreneurs in various stages of developing their own businesses -- came together to the form the Women's Entrepreneur Collective and collaboratively manage the space. The shop is stocked with handmade goodies from jewellery to stationery to essential oils to gourmet popcorn, and members of the collective take turns staffing it each day.

We'll be profiling some of the makers featured at Business Out of the Box throughout the summer, so stay tuned!