Marla and Pete Bradford are the owners of The Barrel House, creating and selling barrel work, woodworking, rustic furniture, décor and gifts. They also operate the Coopers Cart Kitchen in Barrel House, selling Pete’s delicious baked goods and pickles. The Bradfords discovered the programme through the Chamber of Commerce and LaunchIt Minto. Moving from Prince Edward Island, they found their new home in Harriston with the help of the local Economic Development Officer. “Belinda is what got us here,” Pete recalled.
“The programme is very easy to apply to.”
Through the programme, Pete worked on adding a snow diversion roof and moving the kitchen from a small side addition to the main building and tripling the size in order to accommodate their ever growing customer base. “We did a couple events in Harriston. People know us. We’re being recognized now – marketing achieved!” Marla added.
As of the interview, the Bradfords are happy to report that they were able to increase sales and hire a part-time employee. They were able to record an increase in their growth rate of 25%.
When asked if they had any advice to give to someone considering to join the programme, Marla responded with “Do your homework in what your project is and what you find most important. Determine what difference your project will make”. She also added that the programme is very easy to apply to.
Marla ended the interview by saying “We can’t say thank you enough to Economic Development.”