Business and Entrepreneurship

Maybe the key to keeping a business running throughout three generations lies with who you go along the journey with. Many would shut down the idea of working with, let alone going into business with, their significant other. But when your life partner is also your best friend, there is nothing you’d rather be doing. Maybe the key is learning the ins and outs of the family business from the previous generation. There are always different paths to success, and different keys to unlock them. McKean’s Flowers is a 3rd generation family-owned business that has found their own keys to success....

Along New Glasgow’s downtown core, you’ll find a culinary experience like no other in Pictou County and neighbouring communities. Willow Harrison and Tom Emmott opened Little Gull Bistro, located in the spot where The Bistro used to be, in Spring 2023. Now, they’re approaching the 1-year mark of making the spot their own. “It was a torch being passed,” said Emmott. “They have been so supportive of us,” said Harrison. The pair of red seal chefs originally met through a mutual friend, while Emmott was working at The Bistro. Their paths would eventually cross again awhile later. After that, the...

Within less than six months, Darrah DeYoung went from making her first cheesecake to selling out at the New Glasgow Farmers Market. Darrah’s delectable cheesecakes taste like the product of a seasoned baker, proving you can be great at something even if you haven’t been working towards it your entire life. “I wanted to make cupcakes. When I was talking to my mom, she said ‘what about cheesecake?’ And it just turned out I was good at it,” said Darrah, owner of Baked and Boujee Cheesecakes. Though her mom has owned several businesses over the years, Darrah never thought she would follow in her...

Marcus English understands what it means to feel a need to be creative. Since he was a young boy growing up in Pictou County, he’s taken on nearly every medium you can think of.  Over the past few years, his medium of choice has been stone. “It’s the permanence of it,” said English. “There are things I could make that could be an artifact someday.” For a part of his life, his need to create was consumed by addiction. It’s a part of his story he doesn’t shy away from talking about. His addiction led to multiple near-death experiences and created adversity in his life, which is a significant...

Moving away to expand your knowledge and skills is brave, but moving home to seek new opportunities might just be braver. That’s what Lydia and Brad Sayeau did. They incorporated their video production company, New Brooklyn Media, in 2019. They operated that business in the Halifax area before deciding to leave the city and bring their business home to Pictou County.  They had no way of knowing if their business would continue the upward trajectory it was on, but they felt confident in the work they were doing and took the chance. Lydia grew up in the County, so proximity to family was a big...

Tucked away on Foord St. in Stellarton is a new bakery quickly rising in popularity. Since opening in January, Birgir Robertsson’s bakery, The Little Pastry House, has quickly gained a loyal following. The consensus is the same among locals and folks trickling in from the city: The Little Pastry House offers mighty good treats. Robertsson has owned bakeries in Ontario, Manitoba, and now Nova Scotia, where he has thought of moving to for some time. He’s been developing his baking skills since he was a young boy growing up in Iceland. It wasn’t until he moved to Canada that he picked it back...

Art Store Fills County Gaps Madison LeBlanc and Justin Parkinson share a life, and a dream. The pair have thought about owning a business for as long as they can remember. While Parkinson didn’t have specific visions for what that business might be, an art store is something LeBlanc has vividly dreamed of. The family moved to Pictou County from Guelph, ON in May 2022. Moving to Nova Scotia created opportunities and allowed them to expand. They had a list of positive reasons for the move, but at the top was the appeal of settling somewhere they felt safe, where their children could grow up...

When doors continue to shut on you, an entrepreneurial path can become a necessity over a choice. Though she’s been busy for 13 years now, it hasn’t been an easy journey for Angela Cromwell. In the early 2000’s, after living in Toronto for 20 years working as a restaurant manager, divorce brought Cromwell, her son, and twin daughters’ home to Pictou County. Her endless search for work here continued to result in disappointment. “Coming home and not finding anything was hard,” she said. “You weren’t going to find something appear, you had to create it.” There are many tasks that come with...

Do What Makes You Happy Encouragement from friends and family sparked Stephanie Grants decision to put her baking skills to work and start a cupcake side hustle. “I always liked to bake, and I wanted to do something fun on the side,” said the owner of Sassy Sweet Cups. “I mostly gave away more than I ever did sell (in the beginning).” During the COVID-19 pandemic, Stephanie's family moved home to Pictou County, where the entrepreneur grew up. For Stephanie, the pandemic provided perspective on a lot of aspects of her life, one being the importance of being close to family. “(Covid) kind of...

A business idea sometimes blooms out of a solution to a problem. When that problem involves your beloved dog, finding a solution can feel like the only option. That’s what it felt like for Trisha MacDonald. “It started with one of my dogs,” said the owner and operator of The RAW Edge Pet Health. MacDonald has been around dogs her whole life. When one of her own, a labradoodle Rylee, received a hip dysplasia diagnosis as an 8-week-old puppy, it set MacDonald down a new and unexpected path. “The vet took the X-ray and showed me how severe it was,” she said. Rylee was put on various medications...