It all started with a silly little sketch.
Glynda Fitzgerald drew a picture of two young girls in matching dresses, added a sweet inscription, and gave it to her sister as a birthday card. Inspiration struck and from there she created a collection of about 70 hand-drawn greeting cards. Then she taught herself Photoshop and her collection ballooned to 300 cards, which she began selling across North America.
At the time, Fitzgerald had young children and had recently left her demanding job as a script supervisor in the film industry to spend more time at home. Designing cards was a fun gig that satisfied her creative drive, but without a contract with a major chain retailer, she wasn't exactly raking in the cash.
Five years ago, she found a solution to that problem and took a big chance.
"I was just driving through West Van and there was a For Lease sign on the old Umbrella Shop," she recalls. The next thing she knew, she was putting down a deposit on the space and spent the following six weeks transforming the Ambleside storefront at 120-1425 Marine Dr. into Glynda the Good Witch, a gift shop where she sells her own creations in addition to an eclectic mix of products sourced from around the globe - from $2 chewing gum to $150 leather handbags.
Her card collection, which now consists of close to 700 designs, from generic "Happy Birthday" messages to the more niche market "Good Luck on Your First Marathon," are all displayed on built-in wall shelves.
"I'm a bit of a crafty gal," Fitzgerald says, explaining a number of her other creations can also be found in the store. One of her more recent projects, Silver Spoon Baby, is a line of hand-stamped necklace pendants and key chains made from reclaimed silver-plated vintage spoons. She sources the utensils in their original form, then smashes them flat with a hammer at home.
"It's super loud when you do it. No one can be in the house. I have to wear earplugs," she says. Once the head is flat, she breaks off the handle, files down the rough edge and stamps inspirational sayings, such as "Do what you love" or "Dream big," onto the face of each pendant. "People like them because they're all kind of knobbly and each spoon is different and they're all from different parts of the world," she says.
The line also includes dog tags, wine tags and un-hammered "keepsake spoons." Meanwhile, Fitzgerald is always brainstorming new merchandise she could make or buy for her seaside store. "It's my dream job," she says. "I just wish I had a bigger shop and more money, because I could go nuts."
