Denise and Kim: Retail
Award winning start-up outfits northwest tots in posh eco- friendly gear
When moms Denise Everett and Kim Brownlee moved to Prince Rupert from Calgary and Vancouver, they noticed a definite lack of shops selling quality kids’ and baby gear. “We saw the problem and now we’re the solution,” says Denise.
The solution is “Posh Pirates,” a children’s clothing and accessories boutique which Everett and Brownlee opened in November in Prince Rupert. Posh Pirates sells quality clothing brands and environmentally friendly gear from local businesses and artisans – items not found anywhere else in the area.
Reaction from the community is so positive and supportive that Posh Pirates was nominated for three business Excellence Awards by the Prince Rupert and area Chamber of Commerce: rookie business, most child friendly and greenest business of the year.
Post Pirates is serious about being green. Best-selling gear includes cloth diapers, re-usable nursing pads and snack bags. Since the store is paperless, receipts are by email only. Everett and Brownlee have also decorated the store with re-usable items, including wood salvaged from driftwood and a boat used in Prince Rupert’s annual Sea Festival.
Posh Pirates is also a place where kids can have fun while their parents enjoy stress-free shopping. There’s a huge pirate ship play area complete with toys, movies and pirate masks.
“We love being moms, but we are also both strong women who find being in the business world rewarding,” Brownlee explains. “Opening a child friendly business has provided us with an ideal way to balance it all.”
Everett has advice for other women considering a start-up. “I think the biggest problem we all face as women is holding ourselves back and feeling guilty because we’re worried something will suffer if we try to have a career and family at the same time. But if you find something you’re passionate about that fits your lifestyle then you really can have it all.”
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