Fernie’s maternity and children’s shop is celebrating its third anniversary with a bigger and better location. Grow has relocated to the old Livery building across from Overwaitea at 701 Second Avenue, allowing them to offer a wider selection of products for a larger age group.
With the lease up at their original storefront, Owner Melissa MacKay said it was time for Grow to start growing. “I started looking, because we had definitely outgrown the old location, we were packed in there.”
Grow previously carried products that helped moms all the way from maternity, up to products for children aged 12.
“Now that we’ve moved we’re expanding right up to age 14 with dance clothing, different accessories, and we have Sorel boots for every child basically in Fernie,” commented MacKay. “Even people who I hadn’t seen in a year have been coming in and finding stuff for their older kids, which is definitely what we’re going for with an age expansion.”
From car seats and stairway gates, to pillows, clothing, and a huge selection of toys, there’s something for everyone. With a location close to the Alberta and U.S. borders, and the popularity and ease of online shopping increasing, MacKay recognises the importance of competitive pricing.
“The big thing for us is we price match,” she stated. “Anything that you find in here, you can’t find it cheaper somewhere else in Canada. We really try to give people no reason to shop anywhere else.”
MacKay went on to say, “Something that people don’t know is that kid’s necessities only have five per cent tax here. You absolutely save nothing by travelling to Alberta. So that’s everything from boots, to car seats, to snowsuits, to socks, to dance clothes. That’s a huge advantage.”
A resident of Fernie for 10 years now, MacKay originally came to snowboard and, like many others, she never left. The idea to open a children’s store came to her after being involved with several different local childrens’ groups and realising there was a gap in Fernie’s shopping district.
“I knew that this was missing,” said MacKay. “I used to work for the mom’s group and so it was apparent to me how many children were in this town, and everyone kind of complained that there was nowhere to buy things for them.”
Three years later, the success of the store is obvious, and MacKay clearly enjoys working within the community of Fernie. “I love it,” she remarked. “It’s really cool to actually know a good percentage of the customers and know all the kids by name. It’s really wonderful, people really support you, and it’s nice because people think of us first before they jump online, which is really important.”
“We’re looking forward to a super busy Christmas season and many more to come.”