For Kate Johnson and Julia Allen, it乌鸦传媒檚 about shopping local and all things Okanagan.
That乌鸦传媒檚 the motivator behind the duo乌鸦传媒檚 new quarterly subscription box service Locality.
Jam-packed with five-to-seven artisanal Okanagan goods handpicked by Johnson and Allen, Locality subscription boxes feature health and wellness products, bath and beauty goods, non-perishables and various coupons for local wineries valued at about $150 per box.
乌鸦传媒淲e love shopping local and subscription boxes are such a hot trend right now, so we decided to combine the two ideas,乌鸦传媒� said the Vernon-born Allen.
After a stint out west, Allen and Johnson, who is originally from Kelowna, moved back to the Okanagan to raise their families and pursue the iconic lifestyle felt across the region.
乌鸦传媒淲e wanted to come back and have a simpler lifestyle for our kids,乌鸦传媒� Johnson said. 乌鸦传媒淚t乌鸦传媒檚 a lifestyle people want to be a part of whether they live here or not.乌鸦传媒�
Part of that Okanagan lifestyle, they said, is the laid-back approach to city life that they missed in bigger centres.
乌鸦传媒淵ou still feel like you乌鸦传媒檙e living in a city but you don乌鸦传媒檛 have to commute an hour to work,乌鸦传媒� Allen laughed.
That love sparked the germ of Locality after they returned to the Valley.
乌鸦传媒淟ast summer Kate and I were sitting on Kalamalka Beach talking about what we wanted to do for work and came up with this idea,乌鸦传媒� Allen said.
It all took off from there, and before long, Allen and Johnson had signed up for the annual Enterprize Challenge in January, which they won in April.
乌鸦传媒淭hat really kind of pushed us to really start this,乌鸦传媒� Johnson said.
By the end of the month, they had their plan in place and launched their brand Feb. 1, receiving overwhelming feedback from across the nation.
乌鸦传媒淲e had people saying, 乌鸦传媒榃hy didn乌鸦传媒檛 this exist, it乌鸦传媒檚 such a great idea,乌鸦传媒櫸谘淮綕 Allen said. 乌鸦传媒淕et a taste of the Okanagan while living in Calgary 乌鸦传媒� that乌鸦传媒檚 exactly what we wanted and people are saying that. We乌鸦传媒檙e just feeling thankful for the community support.乌鸦传媒�
Johnson and Allen乌鸦传媒檚 first Locality subscription box is slated for delivery in June.
乌鸦传媒淲e sold out right before midnight last night (May 1),乌鸦传媒� Allen said. 乌鸦传媒淲e乌鸦传媒檙e definitely adding more in the fall.乌鸦传媒�
For now, Allen and Johnson plan on containing shipping within Canada until they see what international appeal they can muster up.
乌鸦传媒淲e乌鸦传媒檙e going to conquer Canada and see where that goes,乌鸦传媒� Allen laughed.
The boxes, which are geared towards females, feature works from various Okanagan artisans. However, the contents will remain a mystery until the boxes appear on doorsteps.
乌鸦传媒淥ur lips are sealed, but we can say you乌鸦传媒檙e going to love it,乌鸦传媒� said Allen, the design-woman who brings her music management background to the table. 乌鸦传媒淓veryone loves a surprise.乌鸦传媒�
Johnson, the get-it-done girl who comes from a business and sales background, agreed.
乌鸦传媒淚t gets people excited,乌鸦传媒� she said. 乌鸦传媒淭his is the next phase of online shopping.乌鸦传媒�
To amplify excitement, Allen and Johnson said a proverbial golden ticket to Kitsch Wines乌鸦传媒� exclusive Splendor in the Grass summer party is hidden inside one of the 151 summer subscription boxes.
And, after the summer box is released, Johnson said they will highlight the artisans that made the service possible and host workshops with those artists for members.
乌鸦传媒淲e乌鸦传媒檙e relaying that local love.乌鸦传媒�
Locality subscription boxes are available for $85 quarterly or $307 annually for savings of 10 per cent. To subscribe, visit . Subscriptions for the summer box are sold out. The next box will be shipped in the fall.
