Happy Hippo Bath Company, a family owned business that started in 2006 in Sylvan Lake, AB recently opened a store in the Brandon Shoppers Mall on November the 1st. The company, whose focus is primarily on moms, sells hand crafted products that are handmade, natural and cruelty free. Their products are made from scratch and include a variety of bubble baths, bath bombs, body lotions, hand creams, massage oils, and lip balms. For more information on Happy Hippo Brandon, please follow this link. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});

Fired Pizzaria in Brandon will re-open under a new ownership group.  Friends Hardik Patel, Nisarg Sukhadiya and Apexa Patel will be reopening the pizza joint located at 4-2430 Victoria Ave.  They have a combined 14-years in the food industry between them.  The new ownership group tells bdnmb.ca that they plan to open by the end of November and that the menu will remain largely the same.  They are also planning on completing a few upgrades to the kitchen and will also be looking at adding some new variety of pizzas to the menu prior to opening.  Lastly they wanted everyone to know thay they are extremely excited to re-open Fired Pizzaria and start serving pizza to the people in Brandon. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});

Every artist has a medium of choice. For Rick Cop, his is metal. Metal is strong, durable and hard and has served Rick well since he’s been a welder for nearly three decades. Rick, along with his wife Michelle, own Iron Age Welding, a home-based business that they started two years ago. They work with all kinds of metal including iron, steel and aluminum, plus they offer mobile services as a more convenient way to get repair jobs done for their clients. The core of the business remains in heavy duty work repairing trailers, hitches, farm, livestock, construction and oil field equipment and machinery, as well as fabricating gates, feeders and railings. However, there’s definitely a lighter side to the business. “The custom fabrication side has really taken off. Rick loves that he’s not doing the same thing over and over again. Each project that we do is different and unique and specific to our clients,” said Michelle. In terms of the products that they create, the sky is pretty much the limit. They’ve made a variety of practical pieces including coffee and end tables, farm yard signs, fire pokers and pits, wine racks, house numbers, coat racks, planters and beverage holders. They also enjoy fabricating wall art, with one of their most memorable pieces being the World Map. Rick and Michelle also have a selection of creative and fun garden decor, wall sconces and ornaments. They are proud of the fact that all of their pieces are hand cut and hand painted. Depending on the piece, they also incorporate barn board and other types of wood to enhance the design even further. Occasionally, you’ll find Rick and Michelle on the road at various trade and craft shows; most recently they attended Brandon’s “Big One” Arts & Crafts Sale at the Keystone Centre. Plus, some of their artwork is also available at Lagasse’s Studio of Fine Art in Souris, Inspire Studio of Fine Arts in Minnedosa, The Station in Boissevain and at Cowtown in Brandon. Check out some of their work online at: http://www.ironagewelding.com. You can also find them on Facebook.

After 24 years as the original owner, Martin Dupuis has sold his local pizza and pasta business Little Italy Pizzeria on 10th Street. When asked what is the most valuable piece of advice he could offer any young and upcoming business entrepreneur Martin was quick to say “find a mentor because you will always have a ton of questions”. “You have to be prepared to get dirty, if there is pizza that needs to be delivered then you jump in the car and don’t be too proud” said Martin who contributed part of his success to being a handyman of sorts enabling himself to tackle most of his own plumbing and electrical needs at the business. Over the last two decades several new pizza businesses have opened and Martin told bdnmb.ca that his sales continued to grow over the years.  In order to help sales flourish he said that he used many different marketing tools over the years.  “You watch trends from other centres, so I tried to pay attention to what they were doing...also having relationships with the customers as we know most of our clientele” he said about their success. The new owners Farhan and Morgan Ahmed, and Saki, have been partners/staff at Little Little Italy for several years now so they know the menu and the customers going forward. “I was lucky enough to pick and choose who you work with...so I always picked who I enjoyed working with” stated Martin about what he will miss most about owning Little Italy. The 44 year-old Dupuis will move on and keep himself busy doing house renovations, purchasing various properties, and with a wheel chair business.  We at bdnmb.ca wish him the best of luck going forward. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});

Brandon is anything but dull, especially when you have creative entrepreneurs opening new businesses that help to sharpen your skills (full confession, I do love puns!). If you haven’t heard Kickin’ Axe Throwing Ltd. officially opened at the beginning of October. Brandon’s first axe throwing club offers folks an adventurous night out. Sole owner Darcy Low is pleased by the initial response after being opened for just a few weeks. “I went to a similar place in Edmonton well over a year ago and then to a couple of places in Winnipeg. It was a lot of fun and I kept thinking that Brandon definitely needs something like this, so before I know it I’m scouting potential locations and planning out my new business. People who’ve come said they can’t wait to come back, so I guess that’s a good sign” said Low. Kickin’ Axe Throwing is located at 389 Park Avenue East (look for the grey building at the back of the property with large, red overhead doors). They currently have two lanes, with a 12 foot throwing distance, and will soon be adding a third. There are three different styles of axes and a variety of challenging games that can be played. Low said that it’s ideal to come with a group of four or more to get the most out of the experience and that it’s a great activity for stags/stagette’s, birthday/anniversary celebrations, corporate team building or for a fun night out with friends (age restrictions do apply, check in before booking). They are open most evenings and weekends, but it is definitely in your best interest to prebook to avoid disappointment. Low said that while axe throwing is fun and unique, the safety of his guests is top priority and that everyone must wear close toed shoes and go through the training to learn how to throw safely. I think this would be the perfect way to end a busy week, especially if you need to work out a bit of frustration! For more information, check out their Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/kickinaxethrowing/