You may or may not know that Acre75.ca is named after the 75 acre farm I grew up on outside of Mildmay, Ontario.
Mildmay is a tight-knit, community-focused town of 1000 people. Whether it be the fall fair, fire fighter breakfast, a celebration of life or fundraiser for a local family in need, you can always count on the whole community coming out to support. That is my favourite thing about growing up in a small town - the genuine feeling of community. That is a common theme amongst every small town (speaking from experience as I now live in another small town called Milverton and my husband is from a nearby small town called Wellesley.)
Another common attribute of small towns is a community-based newspaper. A newspaper that everyone still loves receiving and reading every week and where they get the majority of their community and surrounding community news.
In Mildmay, we have the Town Crier. It is mailed out every week and includes local news and events, peaks from the past, recipes, local sports news, livestock reports, classifieds, etc. My parents give us a subscription to the Town Crier every year for Christmas and I am very thankful for that, especially now that I have moved 45 minutes away from Mildmay.
Now to get to the point of my story. I am very proud to share that Acre75.ca has been featured in the Town Crier! Since Acre75.ca is rooted in Mildmay through and through, there isn't a better publication for my little shop to be highlighted in. Read my feature below:
"Virginia Ehrlich (nee Durrer) has launched an online store called Acre75.ca. Acre75.ca, named after the 75 acre farm she grew up on outside of Mildmay, sells unique and modern gifts and goods handmade in small Canadian towns with populations less than 30,000 people.
After being gifted a unique wooden vase handcrafted in Neustadt, Virginia was inspired to bring together other on-trend items handcrafted in small Canadian towns. “The more I started looking, the more excited I got,” she beamed. “There are literally so many talented people living in small towns!”
Acre75.ca offers over 100 products made in over 30 small towns across Canada. The products range from bath and body products, to wooden toys, to recycled beer bottle beer glasses to gourmet pancake mixes. Virginia’s emphasis is on unique, quality and practical items, all with professional branding and packaging. Acre75.ca’s packaging is locally sourced, including recycled copies of the Town Crier that Virginia uses to wrap her products in before shipping.
Virginia started Acre75.ca so she could use her digital marketing skills to showcase small town creativity and innovation. “I’ve always been proud of my small town, rural roots and Acre75.ca is a way for me to show the world how cool small towns are,” said Virginia.
“Shoppers love the convenience of shopping online and, at the same time, there is a movement going on right now,” Virginia mentioned. “People are more mindful and conscious about what they are purchasing, which means they are spending more money on locally made products because they know who made them, where they came from and what’s in them. That is why I launched Acre75.ca – so people who love shopping online can still support local. And in the process, maybe they will discover a new town or two that they will visit and support in the future.”
Acre75.ca offers flat-rate shipping of $10 and free shipping on orders over $150. Delivery can also be arranged to Mildmay and pickup is always available from our home in Milverton (where I operate Acre75.ca from). You can choose to have your order wrapped in a gift box or gift bag for between $7-$10.
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