Mainly Manitoba hoping to stick around

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This article was published 28/11/2019 (2319 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

While travelling to trade shows to promote their line of essential oils, Dean and Amy Dalman noticed that a lot of smaller, independent Manitoba businesses like theirs were having a similar problem.

They were having trouble finding places to sell their goods.

While the Dalmans ended up opening a storefront in Winnipeg called Valhalla Automated Spa to sell their oils, that only solved their own problem. There were other local products without a retail presence. 

“You can’t really sell pancake mix at a spa,” Dean said. “That’s what led up to Mainly Manitoba. There were all these products that didn’t really fit into a spa setting. There were so many good products that my wife said ‘You know what? There’s an opportunity here if we can get everyone on the same page.’”

For the last few years, they have been looking into setting up a store to sell products made in Manitoba. However, Dean gives full credit to Amy for the idea, saying that he has only contributed a few ideas.

Another bit of inspiration came from the difficulty of trying to pitch their products to bigger chain stores when they were still looking for an outlet for their products.

The first manifestation of this plan came to fruition this spring when the family opened a business called Mainly Manitoba at Clear Lake in Riding Mountain National Park. It opened during the May long weekend and stayed open until mid-October when the weather forced them to close.

That venture went so well, Dean said, that they’ve since signed an agreement to open up for the next four seasons at the park.

Because of the success of that location, the family decided to test the market in Brandon, opening another Mainly Manitoba location in Shoppers Mall.

As the name suggests, both locations sell products that are primarily made in Manitoba. Dean said that they aim for an inventory 90 per cent comprised of Manitoban products, with the other 10 being made up of products that accent the Manitoba ones or that have good profit margins and keep the business healthy.

What a lot of people don’t realize, Dean said, is how many types of products are made in Manitoba. The store is full of artwork in various mediums, candles, statues, food products, games, decorations, clothing and more. 

“Anything that you think of, somebody in Manitoba is making and they’re making it well,” Dean said. “It’s hard to come into the store and not find something that triggers you. It’s real difficult to be opening up boxes because you start putting your own list together of all the things that you want to take home.”

While the products come from places as far away as north of The Pas and as far southeast as Winkler, but there are some local artisans with presences in the store. A cooler contains Neepawa-based Farmery Brewery’s malted sodas and artwork made by Iron Age Welding located north of Brandon are featured on a couple of displays.

While online retailers might have big-name items selling for cheap, the Dalmans are trying to sell Mainly Manitoba as a traditional shopping experience where customers can take their time to explore and find gift ideas they may not have known existed or might not have occurred to them to buy.

“We’ve had people even say ‘Wow, this feels like shopping in 1970’,” Dean said. “It’s almost impossible to compete on price. If people are looking for a bargain or a giveaway, they’re not going to find it in our store. They’re going to find quality workmanship at fair prices.”

The logistics have been an interesting challenge. The family lives near the Asessippi ski hill north of Russell and has had to temporarily relocate to Brandon. Their daughter Brenna is studying business at Brandon University, and they’ve been able to stay at her apartment.

Dean said that it’s been a bit of adjustment to having Brenna go from living under his roof and following his rules to become the person providing the roof and setting the rules.

Still, there are advantages to having family nearby. Brenna and her boyfriend are working at the store.

Almost every day, people are coming into the store or emailing the family to ask how their products can be featured, according to Dean. He admitted that there is a 200-email backlog they’re working through, but didn’t want that to discourage people from reaching out because they are slowly but surely working through them.

A common theme among the products at Mainly Manitoba is eco-friendliness. Many of the goods are made from recycled or upcycled materials, like a line of purses made from discarded bits of laminate flooring or hats made from coveralls with brims made from old ice cream pails.

One of the most important things about shopping at the store, according to Dean, is that customers know their money is more likely to stay in the local area or within the province.

“I think people are starting to understand the economics of spending their money locally,” he said.

The lease the family signed is only for November and December, but Dean said that sales have been so strong that he’s pretty sure Mainly Manitoba will become a permanent fixture in the new year.

“The people of Brandon have been so nice,” he said. “We didn’t expect to be this well-received. We thought Clear Lake would be bigger than Brandon, but the reception we’ve received here has been over the top and people are asking us if we’re going to be around, which leads me to think we should stay.”

 

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