‘Be Kind’ resonates across borders

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This article was published 17/03/2025 (247 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Within the past six months, HayMad & Co.’s name has touched the Emmy Awards, Golden Globes and Manitoba Legislative Building.

Next up, the Winnipeg retailer is nearly doubling its physical footprint.

“Just being out and about, seeing people wearing our stuff — I never thought I would’ve gotten here,” said Amber Nemeth, HayMad & Co. founder.

“I always thought (this) would’ve been a side hustle, me doing things on the weekends.”

Nemeth began printing and selling “WPG AF”-emblazoned shirts in 2019. Clothing with slogans like “Be Kind” followed. There was a pandemic, online shopping boom and continued growth of HayMad. Now, Nemeth is preparing to open a storefront in Grant Park Shopping Centre.

“When the (COVID-19) pandemic hit, our business kind of exploded,” said Nemeth, 40.

She stood inside HayMad & Co.’s Kildonan Place outpost Monday. The company’s first brick-and-mortar shop opened in 2023; it’s peppered with HayMad brand shirts, sweaters and jewelry. Other Canadian brands are sprinkled throughout.

Pre-storefront, Nemeth leaned on markets, online sales and other stores for exposure. Nemeth took her side hustle full-time after being laid off from a pharmaceutical chain in 2019.

Her children — Hayley and Madisyn, the company’s namesakes — were not even five years old at the time. “I was kind of wanting to see where I could take (HayMad),” Nemeth recalled.

She began producing her “Be Kind” line before the pandemic struck. The two words, along with image of a hand making a peace sign, have since formed her bestselling clothing collection.

“I think the more we can talk … openly about (mental health), I just think it’s better for everybody.”– Amber Nemeth

“During the pandemic, I think a lot of people, it took a toll on their mental health,” Nemeth said.

She watched online sales skyrocket. HayMad was boosted by GoodLocal, a company promoting and delivering Manitoba retailers’ products at the time.

A portion of the “Be Kind” line’s sales go to mental health organizations like the Canadian Mental Health Association’s Manitoba chapter. Proceeds vary per clothing type, Nemeth said. HayMad has surpassed $10,000 in donations.

“I think the more we can talk … openly about (mental health), I just think it’s better for everybody,” Nemeth said.

She has family and friends who’ve struggled with their mental health, she added.

The clothes — and their messaging — have since reached Alberta, Nevada, Florida. Retailers in Canada and the United States signed deals with HayMad as the pandemic ended.

Upwards of 20 Canadian and 15 American stores now sell HayMad’s goods, Nemeth said Monday.

Even so, she was shocked to receive an email from the Emmy Awards last year. An organizer found HayMad on social media and wanted “Be Kind” hoodies and tote bags in nominees’ swag bags.

“I went down this rabbit hole for like 24 hours trying to prove it was a scam,” Nemeth said. “It wasn’t.”

One thing led to another; HayMad products returned to California in January for a Golden Globes event. Nemeth marketed the clothes to stylists, American media and celebrities (including stars from soap operas and The Office — highlights for the fan).

“From the Emmy Awards to the Golden Globes in Los Angeles, HayMad & Co. has been bringing dollars straight from American gifting suites right back to Manitoba in support of mental health.”– Radisson MLA Jelynn Dela Cruz

“Some of those people we met we’re still in contact with,” Nemeth said. “A lot of people resonated with the ‘Be Kind’ movement.”

Upon returning to Winnipeg, Nemeth shifted her sights to Grant Park. Primaris REIT — which manages Grant Park Shopping Centre and Kildonan Place — had space for her business.

The roughly 1,000-square-foot shop, central within the mall, could open at the end of April. HayMad is waiting on an occupancy permit.

The company’s growth elicited a shout-out from Radisson MLA Jelynn Dela Cruz during a recent legislative session.

“From the Emmy Awards to the Golden Globes in Los Angeles, HayMad & Co. has been bringing dollars straight from American gifting suites right back to Manitoba in support of mental health,” Dela Cruz said last week. “The work that you’re doing has inspired a movement.”

Donations from HayMad have been spent on education programs for mental health literacy and recovery, among other things, said the chief executive of the CMHA’s Manitoba chapter.

“It’s just a really powerful message,” Marion Cooper said of the “Be Kind” brand. “It’s great that … a small organization here in Manitoba is making such a big difference.

“It’s a really good example of how promoting mental health isn’t just about health services.”

Both Jason Smith, president of the Winnipeg Sea Bears, and Corey Quintaine, Primaris REIT marketing manager, applauded HayMad’s growth.

The company is an official partner of Winnipeg’s professional basketball team. HayMad made specialty jewelry for Sea Bears cheerleaders last season, and began selling the accessories in store after sports attendees took notice.

“We’re thrilled that they have done as well as they have,” Smith said. “For us, it’s always a good opportunity to partner with local businesses.”

“For her to survive through COVID, stay in business… and now expand is kind of a testament to her and her staff.”– Dan Carriere, co-owner of Beard & Brawn

Quintaine called HayMad “a huge feather in our cap.”

It’s good to have a “fiercely local” operator in the malls, he added.

HayMad customers are more frequently asking where products come from, Nemeth said. She tells them every brand in store is Canadian; most are Manitoban.

And despite Canada’s recent trade war with the U.S., American retailers are still stocking HayMad, Nemeth added.

Beard & Brawn is among the Manitoba companies represented in HayMad’s storefront. The beard oil business began in 2015; it’s watched enterprises like HayMad, selling a variety of local goods, shutter during and after the pandemic, said co-owner Dan Carriere.

“For her to survive through COVID, stay in business… and now expand is kind of a testament to her and her staff,” Carriere said. “I’m just very impressed that they’re able to expand in today’s market.”

HayMad may hire another staff member or two for its Grant Park location, Nemeth said. The company currently has five employees.

gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com