Photo of Jolyn Swain, Nurtured, Halifax Nova, Scotia.
As a child of a small business owner, many of my memories include hiding behind boxes in my father’s warehouse, helping the bookkeepers sort invoices, or spending weekends minding the front cash. Now, my husband and I (also the product of a family run business) are entrepreneurs. It takes immersing your life and your family into a business to really understand the hustle. That is why at Hip Mommies, we passionately support our small business retailers whenever we can. These shops and boutiques are the life blood of a thriving community, and here we feature some of the shops that we work with from coast-to-coast.
Business Name: Nurtured Products for Parenting (but everyone just shortens it to Nurtured)
Store Address: 2543 Agricola St, Halifax, NS B3K 4C4 (yes, just a few blocks from the citadel and the harbour)
Website Address: www.nurtured.ca
Shop Owners Names: Eric and Jolyn Swain
Kids: Samuel and Malcolm
Jolyn owns Nurtured Halifax with her husband Eric. They have two boys.
What is the Story behind your business? Why choose the world of baby?
Nurtured started the same year we had our son. But our Nurtured story didn’t begin until our oldest was 4 when we moved across the country to take on Nurtured and be near to “Nanny + Grampy”- and little did we know we were expecting another that fall! I quickly began wishing everyone could have their second child the first time.
Why did you decide to go into business for yourself?
We wanted to be back on the east coast and had left a corporate backdrop in hospitality with a desire to be in an environment that added value in the every day moments.
What is the most challenging part about being an entrepreneur / working mom?
Balance! It’s constantly a shifting ship.
What motivates you?
Energy, problem solving and quality time with those I love. Oh, and sunshine.
What is your Super Power?
Through the years my kindest feedback has been tweeted that I’m an angel sent to earth to make sure parents make it through these early years!
What is something that you think people should know about you or your business?
We have a tree in the middle of our shop, even though we have a website, we love interacting with our local shoppers. When we moved to our new space 3 years ago, we wrote into our lease that we could have a petting zoo at least once a year.
Who is your supporting cast of characters? (who needs a shout out)
We are incredibly lucky to have a tight knit crew who call each other their best friends. Parenting is hard and they reach out to our customers and even those hesitant to go shopping in a parenting paradise! I’d like to shout out to Jessica because she’s a mom of 3, so steady and patient and has worked at Nurtured longer than me!
What is your favourite product represented by Hip Mommies and why do you love it?
There have been so many favourites through the years. EZPZ is an easy pick and My Family Builders has been such a great addition!
Our customers have been incredibly intrigued by the kizingo. I love that it’s made in the USA especially as it’s increasingly hard to find representation for materials made in North America.
Welcome to Outdoor Voice, the blog for parents from Hip Mommies. We feature products of course, but also share reviews, host giveaways, and have moms that are doing great things share a bit about themselves. We are huge into Mom Crushes, parenting hacks, tips, kids, DIY recipes and more for the modern Canadian family. Want to participate? Send us an email!
@ Hip Mommies 2023 | privacy & legal