ALDERWOOD'S MARTA POZNIAKOWSKI THINKS BIG BY GOING SMALL
With risk comes reward.
This might not be Marta Pozniakowski’s personal motto, but it may as well be. The busy Alderwood mom decided to do what most of us would never dream of doing during a pandemic - she opened up a new business. Well...two, actually.
Already an accomplished Realtor, Pozniakowski thought it would be a great idea to combine two of her passions - real estate and espresso. Hence the launch of Espresso Bar Namaste alongside her RE/MAX Equinox real estate brokerage, both located at 392 Brown’s Line just south of Horner in lovely Alderwood.
Not one to rest on her laurels, Pozniakowski worked hard to build her business from a new cafe to a destination for coffee connoisseurs.
I told a friend recently that I was writing a feature about Espresso Bar Namaste and his reply was:
“Oh, yeah. I know it. I go there all the time now!”
Success for small businesses comes in many ways. Sometimes you have the right product, other times it’s your location. Check both for Pozniakowski. But there’s something less tangible contributing to her success thus far...it’s the feeling of community.
Pozniakowski doesn’t just own a cafe in Alderwood, she lives there, knows the culture, and is passionate about the neighbourhood.
She has also gone out of her way to feature OPP (Other People’s Products - bet you weren’t sure where I was goin’ with that) in her shop, thereby creating a space that supports other local entrepreneurs.
Case in point is Pozniakowski’s support of the Etobicoke Apparel Company, a local start-up drawing inspiration from South Etobicoke’s Humber Bay with their Bridge Hoodies; now sold exclusively at Espresso Bar Namaste.
“My customer’s love these hoodies!” Exclaims Pozniakowski. “They’re so comfortable. We’re starting to sell a lot of them.”
With an eye on supporting other small, local businesses, Pozniakowski is thinking big picture.
“We all have to help each other,” she explains. “That’s just community.”
Pozniakowski’s vision of combining a cafe with her real estate business is paying off. She chose a great location for starters; a few steps from the new B-Line Condos under construction at the southwest corner of Brown’s Line and Horner.
In my experience working to help promote local businesses, I’ve noticed that the ones who do well are the ones who embrace community. They help others around them and aren’t afraid to take risks and try new things. They become the local staple - the place people keep coming back to for more.
I think you’ll be hearing much more about Marta Pozniakowski as she continues to serve her community and help others along the way.
ESPRESSO BAR NAMASTE
RE/MAX EQUINOX
392 Brown’s Line
@espresso_bar_namaste / (647) 836-9130
@remaxequinox / (416) 746-1551
By: Roger Tumminieri
Marta Pozniakowski is Building Community in Alderwood.
YOU ARE NOT ALONE
The year 2020 was challenging for many of us, and for our frontline workers, the year resulted in an unimaginable level of stress. Thank you to each and every one of you. Our communities and our country are forever grateful for the personal sacrifices you have made and continue to make for the good of us all. Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts, for putting the interests of your neighbours and your community ahead of your own.
We experienced a global pandemic that brought the international community to its knees. It has threatened our health, our economy, and our very way of life. We have also seen acts of senseless violence that have devastating impacts on our communities. However, through the mental, physical, and financial toll of these past 12 months, we have also seen Canadians show strength, resilience, and a willingness to work together.
Communities have taken steps to support their most vulnerable, families and businesses have made sacrifices to keep others safe. These actions should inspire us all in 2021.
For the foreseeable future, we need to continue our fight against COVID-19 with a renewed sense of hope. Canadians have already started to receive doses of safe and effective vaccines. We have the most diverse vaccine portfolio of any country, and we continue to work with provinces to ensure that all Canadians will have free access to vaccines as soon as possible. We will also keep doing what it takes, for as long as it takes, to support people and businesses through the crisis.
We have been through a lot but we have prevailed and will get through this together.
As a government, we responded to the pandemic in the best way possible to support all Canadians and quickly created programs to support businesses entrepreneurs, workers, and all Canadians. I think of the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy, the Canada Emergency Business Account, and the new Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy to help hundreds of thousands of businesses, charities, and non-profits pay their bills and keep their workers on the payroll. We have also supported Canadians who have lost their income due to the pandemic – including the 8.9 million Canadians who received the Canada Emergency Response Benefit in 2020 – and are continuing to provide income support through new recovery benefits and changes to Employment Insurance.
As a community, I have heard countless stories of how residents of Etobicoke-Lakeshore have come together to help those in need. I am so proud and deeply touched by everyone’s generosity.
As we move forward, we must take every opportunity to make our country stronger, more sustainable, and more just for everyone. That means building a more inclusive economy and working with our partners to address the systemic barriers that discriminate against too many Canadians, making it harder for them to succeed.
It means taking further climate action and investing in clean energy and technologies. In the last year, we have taken some major steps toward these goals and we will do more.
As we move forward, I borrow from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s new year message:
“We should take comfort that while we may have more still to endure, better days will return: we will be with our friends again; we will be with our families again; we will meet again.” Indeed.
I am here to help. Reach out. You are not alone.
James Maloney, MP
Etobicoke-Lakeshore
Instagram: @james.maloney
Email: james.maloney@parl.gc.ca
APPAREL Co. THE STORY STARTS HERE.
Apparel Co. is a tribute to Ontario. With its designs, we celebrate our great province in all of its glory, be it man-made or natural.
At the heart of Apparel Co. lies its first design; the Etobicoke ‘Bridge’. It was the design that was never meant to be.
Much like inventing penicillin, the Bridge design was a mistake. Originally, it was supposed to be a side view of the Humber Bay Bridge; as if one were looking at it from the Gardiner Expressway. In an effort to keep within the self-imposed geometric design constraints, however, the current Bridge image was born - a view as if one were standing right in front of the South Etobicoke landmark. The design was originally in colour, too. It featured a white bridge with a blue sky background and an orange sun. The blue sky was eventually replaced with a black background. The sun changed to white, but was eventually removed altogether, leaving the simple design of a stoic white bridge alone unto itself.
Designed and printed in Ontario, the Etobicoke Bridge Hoodie is among several designs now available for sale. Along with the Grey County ‘Tractor’ and Beaver Valley ‘Skiis’, the Bridge Hoodie comes in two varieties: full-zip and pullover. Kids and Youth sizes are also available upon request, ‘cause who doesn’t want to rock the same gear as their kids...or grandchildren, right?!
ORDER AT:
www.apparelco.ca OR apparelco.ca@gmail.com Follow on Instagram: @apparelco.ca