The Daisy Market - Bringing Change To Our Community
WORDS: Stef Richardson | PHOTOS: Alyssa Fleming
PLEASE NOTE: The Daisy Market has moved and is now a part of Gather Grocery in Thornbury.
One step into The Daisy Market and it’s hard not to feel instantly welcomed. First impression leaves you appreciating the open concept space that with a range of wonderful products that promote an eco-friendly lifestyle and a waste-less mindset, something I personally want to educate myself on a little more. Prior to opening, Owner Cass Dinsmore had been searching for that one thing that she felt passionate about and that one thing she could wake up and love doing – turns out The Daisy Market is that one thing. It’s blossomed into one heck of a passion project and now offers a space that residents of the Grey Bruce Simcoe region can come shop all things green beauty + living.
Although the shop was previously operating at her homestead in Ravenna, Cassidy had been dreaming of a storefront in the downtown Thornbury district for quite some time. Flash-forward to present day, the shop has found its new home in a charming, bright, and vibey building off of Bruce Street, which suits the brand entirely. It was only recently that Cass and I became gal pals and I gotta say, she’s the cutest. This beautiful vibrant woman is always reppin’ a smile and hearing her talk about the shop + plans that she has for the future is super inspiring to an eager individual like myself. From community pop-ups, building environmental awareness and promoting her new refillery station, The Daisy Market is a front running advocate for positive consumer change. Even if it’s little by little, every bit matters. Most of the products you’ll browse during your visit are sourced from Canadian companies and are organic, natural and in unpacked or recyclable casing. I love knowing that.
New to the shop is the ‘Refillery Station’ that I mentioned – a place to bring your jars (or purchase there) to fill or refill with your favourite products such as laundry detergent, body wash, shampoo, all purpose cleaner, popcorn kernels and more. It’s an eco-friendly system that eliminates plastic bottles and allows you to purchase your every day cleaning products in small or large quantities. Plus, it’s so satisfying doing the pumping - believe me!
FACT - A lot of the goods found in the shop are products that Cass uses on a day-to-day basis – tried and true.
CASSIDY’S FAVES:
1. Sacred Wildwood – Crafted with magic and raw harvest ingredients in the heart of Wellington County, these products (made in batches of 6) are truly food for the skin.
2. Routine Cream – “What you put onto your body goes into your body”. This line of deodorant is loved by many and a product I firmly stand behind.
3. Carina Organics – Refillable product – Carina offers a great line of products that are offered as part of the refillable options. Free of harmful chemical and synthetic ingredients.
When Cass isn’t manning the shop, you can find her at the farm spreading the most amount of love onto her dogs Georgie, Henry and Derby and of course enjoying married life with her supportive husband Sean, and two goats, Francis and Gordy. One thing I admire most about Cass is how humble she is – looking for new ways help our community reduce their waste while continuing to educate herself on the matter and supporting other local businesses. Bursting with a contagious entrepreneurial spirit, this woman is a force to be reckoned with. If you’re looking to change up your routine and steer away from single-use products, The Daisy Market is the place to start. Stop in and visit Cass, learn the Who, What, Where, When and Why and I promise you, you’ll start feeling good about the choices you’re making for your skin + our planet.
In the last year or so, I’ve transitioned into using all natural, Canadian-made skincare lines (minus make-up) and am completely in love with the way my skin is feeling. The scents, the textures, and the well-known ingredients combine to create a quality and super lovable product. It’s funny - you really don’t realize all of the small careless things we purchase or do that add up to a whole lot of ignorance. After Alyssa and I spent a morning with Cass, we had decided we wanted to be better but knew it wasn’t an over night thing for us. A couple days later we headed to bulk barn and without thought, chose some cute little jars and began filling them with our go-to cooking spices in preparation for our exciting new home together. It may be a speck in the grand landscape of change but we felt super good about it and we hope to make better choices moving forward (which includes returning re-usbable grocery bags back to the car once we’ve unpacked the groceries - that’s a biggy!). I’m never too busy to give a sh*t, so why not channel that into something that really matters.
Let’s try thinking about the bigger picture a little more often!
Check out The Daisy Market on social or visit their website to learn more!
Instagram: @thedaisymarket
Facebook: The Daisy Market
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All photos by Alyssa Fleming
