One of my favorite finds on a Places to Love shoot has to be Granville Island Broom Co. Sisters Sarah and Mary Schwieger make brooms by hand, and they are gorgeous. Anyone who questions why I would get so excited about brooms is too young to remember the TV show Bewitched. Just kidding. One look at their creations and you’ll be a convert, too! They sell over 4,000 brooms a year, and create specialized brooms for all your sweeping needs—big, open spaces; small whisk brooms; even brooms made with a hockey stick handle. Shop here.
I loved the businesses and artists I met at Lowe Mill ARTS & Entertainment, the largest privately owned arts facility in the United States. This huge historic factory building has been redeveloped into 148 working studios for over 200 artists and makers. Danny Davis, a former mechanical engineer for NASA, crafts guitars at Tangled Strings Studio. Davis uses knowledge from building rockets to now build guitars. Every single guitar he makes is completely unique. Shop his creations here.
Most kids dream of becoming a firefighter, astronaut or professional athlete. Not Jake Reisdorf. He simply dreams of saving the world, one honeycomb at a time. This 14-year-old learned about beekeeping through a homework assignment three years ago. Today, he tends to 70 beehives, and started Carmel Honey Company, along with his parents. I had no idea how involved honey tasting can be—it’s like sampling wine! In addition to starting his own impressive company, Jake also gives back to help fund bee education. Shop his honey here.
