Hansell & Halkett Vintage Home Decor Ltd.
Sidney, Vancouver Island/Coast
Hansell & Halkett Vintage Home Decor Ltd.
Sidney, Vancouver Island/Coast
Our space will leave you wanting to sit down, kick up your feet and stay awhile. Hansell & Halkett vintage home décor was born out of the love for good quality timeless pieces and the hope to reduce our ecological footprint, while at the same time creating aesthetically pleasing spaces that we look forward to spending time in. We love the thrill of searching for vintage and antique treasures. Our carefully curated collection is the perfect mix of rustic farmhouse and classic French Country. We offer a collection of absolutely fabulous one-of-a-kind pieces of furniture, timeless home décor and tableware, unique garden pieces, and locally grown floral arrangements and potted creations. In addition to pre-loved pieces, we partner with over 20 local artists who share the same philosophy of treading lightly and crafting good quality timeless goods; from pillows made from clothing, to locally raised sheep skins and hand poured soy candles. We have gifts for all occasions, and just the right piece to make your next celebration extra special.
Business Impact Award
Tell Us Your Story. What motivated you to start your business? Why are you passionate about what you do?
We both grew up in families that appreciated the value, quality, and beauty of antiques and heirlooms. As new homeowners we wanted to incorporate pieces with stories, history and meaning into our homes. We wanted to create spaces that we wanted to spend time in, that brought us joy and made us feel good. Blending new and old items in our homes was about more than decorating; it was about incorporating pieces that had meaning; whether they belonged to a family member that has passed, or had been passed down for generations. We also wanted to keep a light footprint and wanted pieces that could stand up to our young families and not end up in the landfill within a few years. The hunt for pieces that fit all of these criteria was challenging at times, but also exhilarating, almost addicting. It felt good to find an old dresser on the side of the road and to give it a new look and new life with some wood glue or paint. Or to find the perfect piece of art tucked away in a full and disorganized thrift store. We were hooked! We began curating collections and attending 1-2 day markets. Then we held pop-up shops at a local nursery. The feedback we received from our customers was incredible; and when COVID closed down markets and popups, we knew it was the right time to grow and turn this from a hobby to a full-time endeavour. Our customers tell us they come in to the shop regularly because it brings them a sense of peace and calm. People connect with the pieces in our spaces; they feel nostalgic when they see a familiar set of dishes, or a vase their grandmother had had. When people visit our space, they want to sit on an armchair and sip a cup of tea; they want to recreate this feeling in their homes. We love having the opportunity to help customers create a space that feels inviting to them, that is beautiful AND meaningful, and doesn’t contribute to the need to produce more things, but focuses on looking at existing pieces in a different way. Our passion for sourcing ethical sustainable products has grown as we opened our permanent retail space. We carefully research every product we offer to ensure that both the people and the planet are considered in the process. Every piece in our shop has a story and a positive impact.
Describe and demonstrate, including metrics, your community support. How do you support and uplift your community, and how do they show that support in return? Minimum 25 words, maximum 2500 characters.
Our sourcing practices are supporting communities near and far! In 2022, we spent over $4500 at community-based thrift stores such as Habitat for Humanity, Beacon Community Services, the Salvation Army, Women In Need (WIN). These purchases support the vital community programs each of these organizations offer, and also help to keep these items out of the landfill and to reduce the purchase of new items. We are also providing an opportunity for seniors who are downsizing or families dealing with estates a venue to connect their loved and cherished pieces with new homes. We hear so often that this process is overwhelming and stressful, and that its devastating to think of everything going to landfill or being shipped away. Instead we are able to provide some compensation and assurance that their valuables will be passed on. In 2022 we supported 35 local artists and paid these artists over $60,000. The majority of the artisans we work with are women, many of whom have young families and are balancing their businesses with childcare and raising families. We provide fair margins, we share customer feedback to help improve their products, and provide a stepping stone into larger markets. Lastly, we seek out products and companies that not only have high environmental standards both in the sourcing and production of their products, but also high ethical standards. We work to ensure that the people behind the products are paid a living wage, have safe working conditions, and have a voice in the production process.. In 2022 we spent over $13,000 on fair trade and ethical products from Ghana, Pakistan, Peru and from a Syrian family that has resettled in Canada.
Why do you deserve to win the Business Impact award?
We deserve to win this award because we are doing business the hard way. To be frank, we could easily buy low-quality low-cost products from mass producers with poor labour and environmental standards. We could mark them up and make reasonable salaries. But we choose to do business the hard way. It often means sourcing one piece at a time, fixing it, repurposing it. It means taking the time to inventory and pay 35 vendors each month. It means 20 phone calls and emails getting to know a product and producer rather than opening a catalogue and placing an order. And doing so often comes at a cost.
Tell Us About Your Culture. How are you creating a sustainable and healthy workplace where everyone feels welcome? Provide examples of leadership you show in interactions with clients, vendors, contractors, staff and others.
We are working towards creating a culture where both aesthetics and impact are valued. A place where people know that the items being offered are having a positive impact on either the people who made them or the planet (or both), and where customers appreciate and want to know the stories behind their purchases. We want to normalize and encourage customers to question where things are from, who made them, and how. And they feel buying it because they love it AND they know it has a positive impact beyond them. As employers we want to empower our staff to feel confident in what they are selling, to be passionate about it, and to encourage and support their passions and interests. Our current employee has a passion for curating vintage items and refinishing furniture. We now offer her pieces for sale in the shop to not only provide a second source of revenue, but to allow for work life balance. We provide flexible schedules that work around family commitments, and holidays. As owners, employers, and with our customers, we always strive to do what is best. It’s why we bank with Vancity; it’s why we build long-term relationships with our artisans and suppliers and always pay for products up front, it’s why we pay for artisans items that are accidentally broken or damaged, and are transparent about our margins and purchasing prices with the people we are buying from.