When Wind in the Willows owner Sylvia Hollard noticed the former Evergreen Gallery was closing, she began to imagine a new space for women that would heal their mind, body and spirit.
The long-time Haliburton spa owner went to have a look at the soon-to-be vacant digs at 158 Highland St.
She recalls thinking, “you know what? We could have three rooms here. We could do this. We could do that.”
The ‘we’ included long-time Wind in the Willows client, and new employee, Shannon Feir, a nurse with more than 30 years’ experience.
They contacted the owner, the same owner of the Wind in the Willows building, to say they were interested in taking over the lease up the street, “and the rest is history,” Holland said.
History – or in this case herstory – was made the night of Dec. 7 as Willow Organics held its grand opening.
The Feir family did a lot of the renovating, with help from a drywaller, and finishing work by ACM Designs.
Holland and Feir are co-owners of the new enterprise.
“Shannon is the nurse and I’m the aesthetician,” Holland says while showing off the space.
One room features a new laser machine, and staff have been trained on how to use it for various treatments. Feir has been trained to do injectables.
“She’s great at what she does,” Holland says. “She has 30-odd years of nursing experience. That’s what I wanted.”
She added, “Shannon and I work very, very well together. Our mindset is very much the same in that we wanted to be eco-conscious. We wanted it to be organic.”
They are featuring an organic line of products from Hungary (Eminence Organic Skin Care) with a head office in Vancouver. Holland enthuses that the company plants a tree for every product sold. Another item is Chloe and Crown candles, with a pledge to feed a child for every product sold.
For Holland, who has been in business 30 years, the new venture is “exhilarating. I love what I do. I love working with people because when I give, I get.” She will continue to run Wind in the Willows and split her time between both businesses. Feir will also be at the spa doing non-organic injections.
Feir said for the two, it’s all about empowering women. “It’s more than just beauty. It’s just connectedness.”
For example, she said some women come in for Botox injections, and she sometimes talks them out of it, because she senses they have come because they are angry with their husband or struggling with their children and “they just want to feel better.
“From a nurse’s perspective, everyone’s nervous system is a hot mess. They’re putting chemicals on their face that are giving them cancer. It’s not healthy. If you look at organic services and organic products, we believe it’s about education about those products, and about the nervous system. Everyone is stuck in fight or flight, which causes chronic disease.
“So, if you can come into a place where you can drop your shoulders, take a deep breath, reset your nervous system, and learn how to do that in a place that’s safe, since a lot of people don’t want to go to counselling or other modalities. But they will come for what we offer.
“Women need to be empowered to put themself on the priority list. Coming in here for treatments is putting themselves on the priority list. It’s why we created memberships,” Feir said.
Holland agreed it’s all about nurturing. “Our nervous systems are up to here… if you can find a little sanctuary, somewhere you can go and be nourished, mind, body and spirit, whether it’s a laser… and I’ve done laser and had someone crying on the bed, which had nothing to do with laser – it was a safe place to let it go. We want to create that space where they can let their hair down, let it all out, or just let us hold a space for them. It’s a place where, when they walk out, they’re going to feel better than when they came in.”
Willow Organics is at 158 Highland St. Haliburton. You can find out about their offerings at willoworganics.ca. You can email them at info@willoworganics.ca or call 705457-1416.
