Calgary small business owners banded together to let people know that there’s a wide range of local products consumers can find if they want to support local in the face of US tariffs.

Ryan Corry, CEO of Shedpoint, a collective of 75 small businesses operating out of a co-located facility in southeast Calgary, wanted to raise awareness of the numerous shops and products that might otherwise fly under the radar for consumers.

“I think it’s really important as well to highlight Canadian pride in this type of situation, there’s been a lot of anxiety about the looming tariffs or the implemented tariffs, a lot of negative rhetoric,” he told reporters.

“I think it’s really important to highlight how strong Canada is as a country, the unity we have, the amazing entrepreneurship we have, and founders we have.”

Several of the founders attended Wednesday’s media event, sharing their stories of how they may be impacted by the tariffs.

Sydney Shannon with Stoked Oats said that while their oats are from Canada, some of their additional ingredients like fruits and chia seeds are sourced elsewhere – some from South America, some from the US.

She said they’ve already run into a price increase on fruit sources, and they’re determining how that impacts their pricing.

“We feel really strongly to keep the pricing the same, so we are going to stick to that here, but we are looking to raise our prices in the US as these tariffs go up,” she said, solely referring to their e-commerce site.

The primary competitors for the 14-year-old company that started in the city’s farmers market circuit are, in fact, American oatmeal companies.

“So, we are a great option right now to buy Canadian, to shop local and to support a Canadian brand,” Shannon said.

It’s a good time to look at Calgary business options, says activewear biz owner

Erin Osborne, owner of Vinni the Label, a Calgary activewear and leisure wear company, said that there are so many cool, small, independent businesses in the city, the tariff situation should prompt people to take a look at some of the local options on the market.

“Instead of getting down on all the stuff that’s happening, why don’t we just go and support other Canadian businesses?” Osborne said.  

“I truly believe that the world is globally interdependent with each other, and this is a good way to expand your business.”

Osborne sources her products from China, and she doesn’t exactly know how the tariff situation will impact her business. She does have a significant client base in the United States, so it remains to be seen how that will influence her sales if the tariff is slapped on her products.

She has seen her Canadian sales bump up slightly as more people make local buying decisions.

“I think as Canadians and small business owners, to be able to get to this point, you have to be very resourceful,” she said.

“I think it’s just going to push us all to either find out where we can get produced here or find out where we can produce other places. We have to be smart, and we have to pivot.”

Vresh Naga, co-owner of Vresh Foods, home to OG Ghee, a caramelized butter made in Alberta, said that the tariff situation has really opened the eyes of Canadian consumers to how dependent we are on the US.

“I think there’s a spark that has been lit with the Canadian public to understand that our dependence primarily on the US is kind of unrealistic in a lot of ways,” he said.

“The kind of positive thing for us is that the spark’s been lit, the flame’s going. Folks understand that Canadian products mean something else.”

• with files from Aryn Toombs