Prairie Crocus Polish continues to flourish

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This article was published 23/11/2022 (1042 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

One local entrepreneur has seen her business flourish over the past three years.

Tamala Thomas, a self-described “nail polish addict” from North Kildonan, founded Prairie Crocus Polish in 2019 with the desire to make fun, funky natural nail polish with ingredients she felt comfortable with.

“People are still pushing support local, and a lot of people are quite often on Facebook groups, looking for unique gifts,” Thomas said. “Social media, Facebook in particular, has been helpful.”

Along with online sales, Thomas has been a fixture of local markets over the past three years, and will be appearing at a number in the lead-up to Christmas, including upcoming events at Bronx Park Community Centre and Sunova Centre in West St. Paul.

While her 15-millilitre bottles are a consistent seller online and in person, Thomas said that her “mini” five-millilitre bottles prove most popular at markets.

“I sell out every market I do,” she said. “They’re $5 each, or three for $12. For people who are new to the product, it’s a great way to try them.”

And though moving product is important for any business, Thomas takes particular pride in giving back a portion of sales to charity. Each month, proceeds from a select colour go towards a local animal shelter, or other charitable initiatives, such as the Red Cross’ work in Ukraine or the Women’s Health Clinic in Winnipeg. To date, she has donated over $3,000.

“It’s important for me to do that, to give back to the community,” she said. “I love my customers. I’ve created so many friendships. We talk about our kids, find out we have mutual friends. It’s been amazing to meet so many great people from the area.”

To kick off the holiday season, Prairie Crocus Polish will hold a one-day, online Black Friday sale on Fri., Nov. 25, with all polishes retailing for at least 20 per cent off.

“Every year I do a Black Friday sale, and probably half my products sell out,” she said. “Last time we ran this, I had about three or four grandmothers in my area contact me and say their grandkids loved the Vegan nail polish.”

Visit prairiecrocuspolish.ca for more information.