Shuswap entrepreneur’s business blossoms in downtown Salmon Arm

Amy Butler’s career is in a good place.

The Shuswap entrepreneur recently reopened her business, Blush + Blossom, on Lakeshore Drive in downtown Salmon Arm. She loves the space, her neighbours and the downtown vibe.

“We just love the energy that is happening downtown, there’s a lot of younger women in business coming in, there just seems to be a new kind of vibrancy happening down here, a new energy,” said Butler.

While Butler’s business is new to Lakeshore, Blush + Blossom has been in business for a while now, starting off in Butler’s home in Blind Bay. She said she ran a spa for years when she lived in Alberta, and missed working and having her own business.

In February 2020, Butler moved her business to Okanagan Avenue, across the street from city hall. A month later, she had to shut the spa/retail business down temporarily due to health and safety restrictions around COVID-19. When she was able to reopen, she kept the business going until the end of June 2021, but had to relocate as the place she operated out of had been sold.

Though the shutdown was concerning, Butler said she doesn’t give up easily – in part because of the passion she has for her work.

“I absolutely love what I do,” said Butler. “I did decide in this next move that I would no longer be offering spa services, so we are only focused now on our retail and makeup services.”

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Butler said the store’s products are all Canadian made, conscious beauty brands, and all women-led brands that are eco-friendly and ethically sourced. The include a wide range of beauty products, clothing, non-toxic cleaners and more. Some items are refillable – something Butler plans to expand on.

Butler said she and her staff are trained make-up artists and they offer make-up lessons, bridal photo shoots and more.

In addition to her downtown community, Butler also keeps close ties with her Salmon Arm Launch-a-Preneur community. She went through the program in 2019, the last year that it ran, and remains close with her fellow Shuswap entrepreneurs who she shared the Salmar Classic stage with during the competition.

Part of Butler’s business philosophy is making sure customers are not wasting money on a product they won’t use.

“We don’t want people wasting their money on products that don’t suit them or shade match them properly,” said Butler. “As a complementary thing, we shade match them, we want them to try things before they purchase, we want them to feel good with the product that they bought…it’s that environmentally conscious thing where you’re not wasting anything.”

For more information about Blush + Blossom, visit the business on Facebook and on Instagram.

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