She was a highly trained hair stylist. With two completed programs from The Aveda Institute – known as Canada’s top hair school – the cut specialist was beginning a thriving career. But well on her way down a path that should only have brought her happiness, Hannah Poole had a nagging feeling.
She was not only finding her love of hair waning, something she notes as a great disservice to clients.
“I was also becoming disinterested in hairstyling, and that's not fair to the client when you don't have any passion left,” Poole said. She was also missing her hometown, its scenery, and the sheer number of affordable opportunities here. “I was really missing the lakes and hiking trails found around Sudbury, but most of all I was sick of spending so much time working just to be able to afford to live a certain way in Toronto.”
For many, the idea of moving to a smaller city can mean missing out on great shops and restaurants, things you may not be able to find where population is lower or less dense. But these little delights cost a great deal more in a place like Toronto, and a common refrain is heard: You need to work all the time to afford to do what you now have no time to do because you have to work all the time.
Or something much more eloquent than that, but you get the picture.
Poole decided she would find the happy medium when she returned home for Christmas 2016.
“I've had this idea for a number of years, but it wasn't until last Christmas when I got back to Toronto after the holidays that I knew I needed to move back,” said Poole. “When I made the decision to move back home, I knew I would miss all the cool little Toronto shops and the goods that come with them, so I decided to open a cool little shop in Sudbury!”
The Good Luck General Store, located downtown in the Durham flatiron building, is the fruit of that idea. After she combed her favourite stores in Toronto – like Easy Tiger Goods and Likely General – for ideas, she found she loved the way these stores had ever-changing and interesting items in store.
“I loved how they were able to keep on top of the Instagram trends and know which products and companies I would be looking for next,” she said. “That has been my goal since opening, to keep stock fresh and changing so that Sudbury can have access to these great, cool goods.”
Of course, it wasn’t as easy as simply deciding to open a business. There was a great deal of preparation. Through an online course, she designed a business plan and began emailing potential suppliers. She contacted the Regional Business Centre for suggestions and contacts, talked to many other business owners and studied the current market to make sure she made the best choices for her store.
“I spent a lot of time researching similar business models and getting a feel for Sudbury again. It took months of looking at potential retail spaces to finally have this spot come up … it took me months of planning and organizing to be able to open and be okay with the way the shop was looking. I'm still not totally finished, there's more stuff to do.”
It was with this research in mind that Poole put together the wide range of items available at the Good Luck General Store.
“I have everything from candles and incense to Kombucha and kefir water, to socks and cards, to pins and patches, air plants and mugs, tarot and oracle decks to smudges. These are the things that make me happy and that I want to make other people happy. Candles that when burned aren't full of chemicals that you are inhaling. Incense that have intentions made into them, supporting artists and local people who make incredible and all natural skin care. Supporting queer makers when possible, and trying to keep it Canadian.”
In the short time since the opening of Good Luck General Store, Poole has curated a very eclectic mix of items in the store, and certainly something to please everyone – hence the term, “general.”
In fact, that’s the whole point of the store. “My graphic designer friend, Alex, wrote me a slogan and I think it's perfect,” said Poole: “ ‘A little gift shop, with a bit of everything, for everyone.’ ”
You can find Good Luck General Store on Facebook, Instagram, and at their downtown location, 149 Durham Street.
Jenny Lamothe is a freelance writer, proof-reader and editor in Greater Sudbury. Contact her through her website, JennytheWriter.wordpress.com.
