You know Locorun is all about local. Shopping local, eating local, living local. London, Ontario is our home and we want to support our neighbours, family, and friends in every way we can! As you can see through our Local Business videos, there are so many local companies to celebrate. While they can’t all fit on this list, any of them certainly could.
The companies on this list are hubs for local goods, offering multiple local brands under one roof. Head to any one of these awesome spots and be wowed by all of the creativity, craftsmanship, and entrepreneurship that these Londoners have to offer!
SHOP LOCORUM
Shop Locorum has all of your favourite local businesses under one virtual roof. We all know that the pandemic has hit small, local businesses hard. Many of them might not make it through. We can come together and decide to support the local businesses we love by choosing to shop local when we do shop.
Illbury & Goose, The Over Company, Purdy Natural & Anderson Craft Ales are just a few of the great local vendors that Shop Locorum carries. Whether you’re shopping for apparel, jewelry, sustainable & eco-friendly products, music, you name it- you can find it on Shop Locorum.
Plus, Shop Locorum offers London’s only rewards program. You get paid to shop at Shop Locorum. For every purchase that you make you earn 2% back in Locorum Credit. The next time you support local with Shop Locorum, you can use those credits as cash!
When you use Shop Locorum, you’re only ever paying one flat-rate shipping fee, which means that you can order from as many of your favourite local businesses as you want! You’ll be supporting multiple local vendors at once without having to pay shipping costs for each business- the benefits are endless.
So, the next time you want to have a shopping spree- support local & do it at Shop Locorum. You’ll be supporting local businesses (and let’s be honest, they could all use our support with all of these lockdowns and restrictions that the pandemic has brought), building up your Shop Locorum Rewards, and will only have one flat-rate shipping cost.
DUCK & DODO
The Duck & Dodo is a mixture of the old and the new, combining to create an amazing shopping experience for Londoners. Half antique shop, half artisan market, Duck & Dodo is the perfect spot to find something totally unique, whether it’s vintage or brand new.
The market features over forty local artisans and antique dealers from London and the surrounding areas. The open concept market allows for one uninterrupted shopping experience, as opposed to walking from vendor to vendor. This allows all of the items for sale to show their full potential, as they’re not stuck into a small stall like some other markets.
In the Duck & Dodo market, there’s products ranging from furniture to home décor to jewelry. There are also vendors offering bath and beauty products, baby products, and even pet goods! It’s all expertly curated by antique dealers or made by local craftsmen that have a serious passion for their brand. Some vendors even blur the line between antique and artisan, taking antiques and transforming them into something with brand new life and beauty!
Basically all of the items are one of a kind, so you’ll definitely be inclined to make some return visits after your first. Duck & Dodo always feels fresh and exciting when you walk in after some time away and the entire store looks completely different. Peruse the vendors and you’ll find some incredible pieces, old and new, big and small.
Duck & Dodo is one of those places that you can get lost in for hours, just wandering and looking. You’ll fall in love with so many of the pieces, that it’ll be hard not to take the whole store with you on your way out. Whether you need to redecorate your home, dress a baby, or you just want to take an extra luxurious bath, Duck & Dodo is your place to stop.
THE BEEN GARDEN
The Been Garden is a proudly local business that refuses to sell anything from over 50 kilometres from the city of London. Whether you’re heading to Old East Village to check out their brick and mortar shop or using their online shop, the Been Garden is an essential place to get shop for local goods.
The Been Garden has an eclectic mix of products from over 100 local sellers. They’ve seriously got everything. Bath and body? Check. Home décor? You bet. Food? Are you feeling sweet or savoury, because they’ve got both. Baby items? Of course, and yes, there’s something for the fur babies as well (or “pets” as some people may call them).
There’s no doubt that they’ve got a lot, and we mean a lot, of stuff. But quantity never trumps quality. The products at the Been Garden are only the best in terms of ingredients, materials, and design. Thanks to the awesome Londoners behind all of the products, it makes it easy to include so many brands!
As previously mentioned, the Been Garden also has an online store! If you can’t make it out to Old East Village, you’re still able to get all of the awesome local brands you want delivered straight to your door. If you’re in London, shipping is even free! Shopping on the online store earns you points, which will eventually grant you discounts on the local products you love.
They’ve even got the Maker Marketplace, for Londoners just starting to get their own business off the ground. They offer packaging products and other goodies for London entrepreneurs without any minimums on the purchase order! Where the big companies will only allow you to buy in massive quantities, the Been Garden lets you get exactly as much as you need! It’s this extra step towards supporting local business that really excites us!
The Been Garden has a real passion for London’s entrepreneurs and is dedicated to helping them share their craft. Whether it’s apparel, candles, or laundry soap, if it’s awesome and it’s made in London, you’ll find it at the Been Garden!
PURDY NATURAL
Purdy Natural is an amazing boutique shop that carries a load of local and Canadian brands, including their own Purdy Natural brand of skincare products which is where it all got started.
The Purdy Natural products include, but are not limited to: soaps, deodorant, lotions, lip balms, tattoo care, and a whole range of makeup.
When it comes to skincare, Purdy Natural goes by the principle that if you can’t eat it, it shouldn’t be going on your skin, which makes a whole lot of sense. They are totally free of parabens, fragrances, perfumes, dyes, and harsh chemicals. As the name indicates, it’s all totally natural!
Alongside the Purdy Natural brand, the store is packed with other goods from local brands that are likeminded and follow the same ideals. They’ve amassed quite the team of brands from London and surrounding areas that are just as dedicated to natural products that have a tangible difference in quality, so much better than the big stores and brands can provide.
They carry everything from jewelry to tea to naturopathy, and even some home décor, all coming from local and Canadian companies! With so many amazing products available, you can go into Purdy Natural with the intention of buying one thing, and walk out with five additional products because they’re just that hard to turn down.
Purdy Natural is the essential spot to check out for natural skincare in the Forest City, but there are so many other reasons to stop in. With all of these wholesome, natural products that are proudly made in London, it’s the perfect opportunity to treat yourself and support local businesses at the same time!
OVER COLLECTIVE
If you or someone you know is having a baby, the OVer Collective should be your destination for any baby products you’ll need. High quality, stylish, and locally made products to suit your baby
t all started with the OVer, a multi-purpose cover to keep your baby safe and warm in the crazy world we live in. It covers your baby’s car seat or stoller, and acts as a nursing cover with complete 360 degree coverage. When the online response to the OVer was so immensely positive, the OVer Collective was born, a flagship store in the south of London for the OVer and many other local baby brands!
The store has many products, but they all follow the same three simple guidelines:
1. High quality materials
Whether it’s clothing or bath products, they all need to have the baby’s needs in mind. The cloth materials are soft, so they won’t aggravate your little one’s skin. The bath ingredients are natural, so they won’t cause rashes and are safe if accidentally ingested.
2. Durable
Babies aren’t always known to be gentle with their possessions. Between chewing, crawling on the floor, and not being potty trained yet, there are so many different ways that baby products can get damaged or ruined in the blink of an eye. All of the products offered at the OVer Collective can stand up to your baby’s lifestyle.
3. Stylish
While the babies don’t exactly understand fashion just yet, the parents sure do. The OVer Collective is minimalistic, making it modern and yet timeless. For a modern parent, something that looks great is very important.
Products from the OVer Collective have the trifecta of quality, durability, and style that makes for the perfect product. The fact that all of the brands are locally-based makes it even more exciting! Long-lasting quality and timeless style mean that your baby will always be comfy, happy, and looking fresh!
THE MARKET AT WESTERN FAIR DISTRICT
The Market at the Western Fair District is so much more than just grocery shopping like some other markets. This market is an avenue for both local farmers and local artisans to sell their wares. Hosted every Saturday and Sunday year-round, the Market at Western Fair District is a great spot to stop and see the local flair!
On the first floor, you can get veggies, meats, cheeses, bread, and so much more from local farmers, butchers, and bakers. The food you can find in the market is some of the freshest and most incredible that you’ll find in the city, whether it’s ingredients for you to take home or a freshly prepared dish for you to find a seat and chow down immediately!
On the second floor of the market, you’ll find many of the artisans. Everything from metal workers to jewelry to socks are available from local vendors and companies on this floor of the market. You can investigate each stall, and talk to the vendor themselves to get the low down on all of their products. Often the person running the stall is also the person that hand crafts the products you can buy, so you can be sure they’re very knowledgeable!
The Market at Western Fair District is an awesome opportunity to meet the local people behind the local products you love. Whether it’s the farmer that grew your carrots or the artist that created your home décor, it’s unlike anywhere else in the city. If you can find your way out there on a weekend morning, you won’t be disappointed!