The 2021 Nova Scotia travel season looks a little different this year. Observing tight Nova Scotia travel restrictions that thankfully loosened a little bit recently, let us turn our thoughts not just to making Dr. Strang proud (because he’s kind of like everyone’s dad), but to supporting local Halifax and Nova Scotia businesses as they […]
Art and Artisans, Buy Local, Local Gifts, Uncategorized
Local Valentine’s gifts perfect for your special person
28
Jan
Jan
Spoiler alert: This post is definitely about finding local Valentine’s gifts for that special someone. Or someones. Even if that someone is YOU. For a day meant to celebrate love, February 14th can strike fear into the hearts of even the most seasoned gift giver. Finding the best gift for Valentine’s Day is entirely subjective […]
Buy Local, Curbside Pickup, Food & Drink, Local Gifts, Local Produce, Uncategorized
Top 10 Holiday Season Traditions, COVID-Style
20
Dec
Dec
Ah, holiday season traditions. We’ve all got them, whether we like it or not. Getting your s**t together this holiday season is a little more complicated than usual. And let’s be real — you’ve had enough self-improvement for one year. What you need is someone who understands. Someone who gets you. Someone whose holiday observations […]
Art and Artisans, Buy Local, Curbside Pickup, Fashion & Style, Food & Drink, Free Delivery, Local Gifts, Local Produce, Uncategorized
On local gift baskets and how they saved my holiday bacon
01
Dec
Dec
Local gift baskets — and shopping for said baskets — has taught me a lot this holiday season. Mainly that while I seem to be quite good at locating and spending money at small businesses near me, I am NOT very good at actually assembling my haul of local goods into an attractive package. Before […]
09
Nov
Nov
Full disclosure, as a buy and gift local, sustainable shopping geek: I do not participate in Black Friday. (Or Cyber Monday, for that matter.) So when Melanie asked me to write this blog, I was like okaaaaay. Sure. I can do that. And after much soul-searching, here’s where I’ve landed: In an era when every […]
28
Oct
Oct
Local small business innovates to make fruit and ornamental trees healthy and affordable! At vLife, we tend to geek out a bit when we find a new opportunity to buy what we need from a local small business. Especially when it means we can support local business in unexpected ways during a pandemic. This fall, […]
Buy Local, Curbside Pickup, Food & Drink, Free Delivery, Local Produce
Free Delivery & Curbside Pickup: Small Businesses Adapt
07
May
May
While we “Stay the Blazes Home” in Nova Scotia, free delivery and curbside pick-up are playing a vital role in sustaining our communities. It’s impressive how quickly and efficiently small indie businesses are pivoting to keep safely servicing their customers. I’m also heartened by the growing number of community members using these services to support […]
15
Mar
Mar
There has been much in the news lately on the effects of the coronavirus outbreak on big business. This recent New York Times Live Update attributes the recent stock market plunge to the “oil market and coronavirus.” With some notable exceptions in retail making unheard of gains. “Clorox, the maker of disinfecting cleaners and wipes…shares climbed […]
12
Mar
Mar
A zero waste lifestyle transition can be daunting. There has been a huge shift in the number of reusable bags available at grocery stores over the past few years. This is wonderful, but when we looked at our weekly waste, the majority was still made up of single-use plastic packaging for produce and dry goods. […]
02
Mar
Mar
We spoke to many buy-local shoppers when first designing our vlife solution for connecting folks with more small local businesses. When vlife was just a dream and some wireframe sketches, we conducted a buy-local shopper survey* where respondents openly shared their motivations and frustrations with us. And we found many commonalities. The main points being […]