Nice To Meet You!

Ok, story time! Are you comfortable? This could take a few minutes!

Once upon a time, in 2016, Kimberley Dares and her partner Jason MacDonald opened the doors of The Trainyard General Store in Downtown Dartmouth. Over the next 8 years, amidst raising a young family and weathering a global pandemic, they created a community oriented shop that features handmade goods from across Canada. 

It’s so much more than just a retail space though! Since the very beginning, Kimberley partnered with non-profits and mutual aid groups, committing to sharing 5% of profits. The Trainyard hosted and organized free and low cost craft workshops. A Pay What You Can wall was added to the shop, to help ensure that there are fewer barriers to accessing quality, handmade goods.  All that is just skimming the surface of what Kimberley and The Trainyard team created. 

So, where do I come in? Well, if we go back to 2016, I was creating and selling home decor items made from clay, textiles and wood. Kimberley reached out to me via Etsy to see if I would be interested in selling my work at The Trainyard when it opened. I had the benefit of seeing Kimberley and Jason jump in headfirst to their labour of love, learning and growing as they went, sharing their mistakes and being compassionate humans! As I stepped away from making art, and into a role working at Dartmouth’s favourite vintage store, I stayed in touch with Kimberley through visiting the shop and via social media - I so appreciated her willingness to use the business platform to advocate and educate. 

In March of 2024, Kimberley and I happened to sign up for the same Friday night pottery class (quick shoutout to KG Ceramics!). A few days after our first class, a message from Kimberley popped up on my phone. It started something like, “Hey! This is out of the blue, but Jason and I are making moves to sell the shop…I thought of you.”  A few hours later, I met Kimberley at The Trainyard and we decided to go for a walk to chat. We chatted all the way to the Woodside Ferry Terminal and back. Two months later, my name was on the lease! 

The Trainyard community has been so welcoming and encouraging as I learn all the things! It’s a privilege to turn the key in the lock each day and be responsible for sourcing thoughtful goods. I’ve loved getting to meet or reconnect with so many people (and their dogs) who come through the door. I want this space to be a safe, comfortable and inspiring place and look forward to building on the solid foundation that Kimberley and Jason created! 

Thanks for being here (and reading all of this)! Hope to see you soon!

xoErin