A wealth of organic products line the walls of the store. (Image: Bob Knorpp)
Working off a tip from Danny Starr, a long-time Canadian acquaintance, I came across a wonderful store in the far west side of Montreal called Fait Ici.
For those of you not up on your French (me being one of them) the name translates to “Made Here,” and that’s exactly what you’ll find in this quaint little shop on Rue Notre Dame.
Food, clothing, soaps, candles — everything is organic, and everything is made within the province of Quebec. But that’s not what makes the shop so incredibly charming. The real magic comes from the attentive energy and pleasantness of the shop owners, Lindsay Davis and Jackson Wightman.
As Lindsay treated me to their legendary naturally-sweetened guava lemonade, Jackson told us a little bit about the store.
Jackson Wightman (Image: Bob Knorpp)
“We opened about 18 months ago,” he says with a smile on his face. “It hasn’t been easy, but we’re getting by.”
When asked about what has driven business, though, that’s where he gets really excited, saying, “It always comes down to that one item that puts you on the map. For us it was the lemonade you’re drinking. People came from all over the city to try it and that drove most of our traffic over our first Summer.”
Another key to their growing popularity is the networking they’ve done. Since public relations is Jackson’s “day job,” he decided to start a blog that did more than just promote his own store. Instead he made it about all the great restaurants, food suppliers, clothing makers, customers and friends who were supporting their efforts and supplying their products.
The delicious guava lemonade. (Image: Bob Knorpp)
“We have a different person post to the blog each week,” he tell us. “So over the course of the year, readers get exposed to 52 different voices from the community, some in French and some in English.”
The whole idea of Fait Ici is fascinating. Because unlike most “made here” style stores, they have set out to build a community around the concept, rather than just sell local products. The approach has seemingly endeared them to the locals as well, as evidenced by the friendly banter of regular customers streaming in for lunch on a Saturday and sipping lemonade on their quaint back patio.
If you have the time in the Montreal, definitely consider making this pleasant shop part of your tour. You’ll be glad you did…especially if you get the lemonade.
Fait Ici
2519, Notre-Dame O corner Charlevoix
Montreal, Québec, H3J 1N6
514.439.3888
Robert Knorpp is host of The BeanCast Marketing Podcast at thebeancast.com and is President of The Cool Beans Group, a marketing strategy consultancy based in New York City. He likes laughing even more than breathing. You can follow the madness on Twitter at twitter.com/BobKnorpp.
