Two Vancouver entrepreneurs are giving back to their local community.
Leah Yard, owner of jewelry company Leah Yard Designs, has teamed up with her partner, Kyle Kary, who runs Unimpressed Screen Printing.
The dynamic duo run their separate businesses within several blocks of each other in historic Chinatown and Gastown.
When the pair began noticing the growing poverty in their neighbourhood, they decided to do something about it.
"I feel like small businesses have so much heart and soul and I feel like being small, it forces you to be creative and use your skills. I can't go and maybe help the person one-on-one, but I can support people who are skilled in doing that," explains Yard.
They combined their respective skills and created some unique clothing.
The SERIES collection is a small-batch apparel line that includes hoodies, t-shirts, plus satchel and tote bags.
Fifteen per cent of sales from each item in the SERIES line is donated to the Downtown Eastside Women's Centre.
Just a few weeks into the fundraising campaign, local response has already been strong.
"We did over $1,000 in our first day on our launch weekend that we were able to donate," says Yard.
The team of two hopes their venture will inspire other small businesses to help the community in similar ways.
