Hello friends and welcome back to Canadian Showcase! Today, I have a really special business to introduce you to… a brand I became familiar with when I fell in love with a t-shirt I purchased for myself. I was thrilled to have the opportunity to interview her and introduce this brand to all of you!
Janet Geraci, with the support of her husband Antonio Geraci, is the Owner & Designer behind a creative fashion and accessory brand called The Pretty Busy Room. Her designs are whimsical and fun with creations you’d be hard-pressed to find anywhere else. From women’s and men’s fashion, to drinkwear and home decor, this busy lady has it all to offer. She’ll even work with you directly if you have a special design you want to see come to life.
You can find her apparel in many shops across the GTA or purchase directly from their website. I was first introduced to this brand at The Makers Mark in Newmarket, Ontario. Oftentimes, her apparel sells out faster than I can see it on The Pretty Busy Room Instagram page so it’s obvious she’s growing a huge fanbase that appreciates items you can’t just get anywhere. I know I’m a fan!
Thinking Outside the Box [Store]
Most recently, Janet added a funky new concept to her brand called a Mobile Boutique. With Covid having created havoc for small business, it’s encouraging to see shops think out of the box for new and innovative ways to reach customers. The Mobile Boutique will come directly to your door for special events or private parties of 5+. How cool is that?!? You can reach out to Janet directly to book this great new way of bringing local Canadian shopping right to your home.
Let’s have a chat with Janet!
Our Canadian Showcase readers love a good origin story. Tell us a bit about the moment you first came up with your business concept.
This journey began in 2014 when I was laid off from, what I thought was, my “dream” job. Naturally, I started looking for work and to my surprise we got pregnant with our second son. At this point I came to realize I wanted to start my own business. As a child I was always into drawing clothing, dressing my dolls and loved going shopping for clothing with my Teta (grandmother). It was our girls day out kindda thing.
I went to school to study fashion and worked with a few high end fashion retailers throughout my career. I started as a sales rep and worked my way up the ladder into a corporate role as a National brand manager for one of the retailers.
When I started this journey I started with one design, it led to another and here we are today with a full collection we custom design for our clients. Apparel home decor and novelty. I am so excited to announce that 7 years later we have now introduced a full ready to wear collection along with our customizable items. This includes designs/graphics created by us with a mixture of fashion trends. This is so important to our brand as now you can shop your entire wardrobe from our shop.
When developing product ideas, what are your top priorities? Where does your inspiration come from?
We honestly take it back to the old school. I love reading and looking in magazines. As a fashion student this is what we had to use to create moodboards, so I’ve always loved to continue this method. I love adding a lot of my own designs into all our work. This gives the brand a bit of an edge that not only myself but my clients love also.
What has been your proudest moment to date?
It’s hard to say, l’m proud of where I’ve taken this business. I’m proud that I have an amazing community that continues to support me and has allowed me to stay at home doing what I love and help support my family at the same time. I never imagined a life like this but it’s amazing how each of our paths always lead to where we were meant to be.
What does being a Canadian Brand mean to you?
This is important as I am a strong believer of supporting local businesses. Without each other on our sides we would truly have nothing.
Any hints you can give our Canadian Showcase readers about future product lines 😉?
Absolutely!
This summer we are expanding our business into something super special for our clients. Follow us on IG to stay up to date with all the new trends and new things happening with our biz.
The Canadian Showcase Goal: Shop Local, Support Canadian
I add this message to every Canadian Showcase post I create. Why? Because it’s so, so important to support small, local business. Every dollar you spend on a local entrepreneur not only helps them, but it helps our economy as well. Shopping within Canada will ensure you receive your package without pesky cross-boarder duty (or better yet, pick it up yourself!), you can be assured it meets with Canadian health and safety guidelines and you’re helping to introduce fabulous brands to your network. Shop, share and help grow a Canadian business! I promise you will never find a more appreciative audience.
We’ll be back soon with another creative Canadian business to share. In the meantime, check out our post with Ashley Murdoch and see her adorable bracelet line here.
Stay safe and be well.
