Canadian Publisher: Arsenal Pulp Press

Arsenal Pulp Press is a Canadian publisher based out of Vancouver. With over 200 titles published to their name I would hate to call them small. Publishing between 14-20 new titles per year their business is booming. Canadian authors in all genres are present in their catalog. Arsenal Pulp Press is looking to challenge readers with different ideas, and ask questions about the world around us.

I ordered The Outer Harbour Stories by Wayde Compton for various reasons. Wanting to support a Canadian publisher, wanting to read more short stories, and finally as a reader I generally read white males or more recently females. I wanted to branch out and read a broader scope of people about a broader scope of topics. Well also, maybe just a little bit because it’s a beautiful book.

The Outer Harbour is a collection of stories very much exploring the ideas of place and identity. Taking place in British Columbia, the stories are both their own, and part of something bigger. Characters revisit later in the book, at different times, in different places. Not only is the written word used here, but stories are told simply in ads, or photos aswell.

Arsenal Pulp has a lot of books i`m interested in reading, covering many, many topics. I literally had to stop myself from purchasing all the cook books. Prices are fair, and shipping is a standard (at least to Ontario) $5.00. My book was in my hands within 7 days. Their website is very accessible and fun to just explore. With a list of their best sellers, a list of contest winners, and a list of their upcoming publications the site is busy, in a good way.

If you’re interested in books that make you think, or books that are just different in every sense of the word, i recommend checking them out. You can find them here

Other Media:

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Facebook

Canadian Company: Muttonhead

As my first official company review I thought I would start with one near and dear to my heart. One of the first companies that made me aware of really great Canadian made products,

Muttonhead clothing.

Established in 2009 and based in Toronto, Ontario Muttonhead bleeds local. Not only are the designs for their products done in house, but they use one of Canada’s few remaining fabric mills to custom make their fabric. Muttonhead’s philosophy is that local manufacturing is important, they also highly support free trade and I couldn’t agree more.

Admittedly, I only have two hats from Muttonhead, one for summer, a 5-panel yellow that I adore, bought online, and a charcoal-mix toque that I ended up buying through O’s Clothes in downtown Hamilton.  Both of my hats are coming up on their one-year anniversary with me and I couldn’t be happier with how well they’ve weathered being on my head, and how even though the fashion trends have changed my hats are still very much in fashion. Not to mention, my toque is the warmest thing I own.

Now that’s not to say everything is fine and dandy, I have two major problems with the accessibility of their products. It was by fluke that I heard of them in the first place. If the man at O’s Clothes hadn’t suggested that I go with the Muttonhead beanie, because of it’s warmth and quality and the fact that it was local made, opposed to some other beanie I had in my hand, I would have walked right on by. It seems as if you have to know of them to find them. Luckily for me, they’ve updated their website with a list of stores in which they are sold, found here. My second is that they only accept credit card payments. Normally that wouldn’t be a problem, but last year me, didn’t have a visa, so I needed to borrow a friend’s which was kind of weird. Anyway, having a visa is totally necessary for purchasing online,

A few other noteworthy things:

The prices of Muttonhead clothing are what you’d expect from a local business, though some of you might find it shockingly high. Be prepared to spend more money, to support local businesses, and to get the quality you’re looking for.
Now you might ask why it costs more to buy local, when it should cost less, and I agree, but here’s the thing. Buying locally made products, means moving away from big factories and cheap fabrics. It’s moving away from the big box stores and into small companies with big dreams. It means paying a fair price for the product and ensuring things like a sweat shop free environment. Not only that but it means putting money into our economy, and not into the pockets of people in different countries.

Next, the sale items on the website go incredibly fast, so if you’re not an XL you need to be on top of the sale game. Muttonhead is by no means a “small” local business, they have a following of over 23,000 on instagram alone. I know how much I love sales, so you have to be quick.

And lastly, their site is really great in terms of the layout and how easily it is to navigate but they only stock the most recent items in their line. Things like my toque, come back every fall, but certain t-shirt designs and accessories are a one time only deal, so if you’re looking at something it’s best to pick it up before the season changes and it’s gone.

I’m completely impressed with Muttonhead and how they’ve grown, even in the year I’ve been aware of their existence. Please help me share the Local Love, and give them a look, a like, or a follow.

You can find Muttonhead all over the internet, specifically:

Online Store

Instagram

Twitter

Welcome to The Local Spine!

Hello and welcome,

I am very excited and very nervous.

The idea for a Canadian product and business based blog was something I came up with not that long ago, I was trying to find a way to combine what I love with helping my community. What I love is reading. I wanted to be a strictly Canadian publisher blog, but my soul wanted bigger, I’ve decided to make it into a Canadian business, or product review blog, and i’m so excited, these things, are things i’m actually purchasing, actually researching, actually talking to the makers and the owners, and learning about the people in my community, or across the country

The best part is that I’m reviewing these products, for you, in hopes that you’ll find something cool and order it, or pick it up, or meet these people at events like Art Crawl, and know what they do and who they are. For you, so in reading these posts you become aware of the talent surrounding you.  For you, in case you find that one thing you literally cannot live without having. For you so you get the good feels that come with purchasing something made right here at home.

Thanks for all of the support,
happy reading.

Erin

any questions, or inquiries, please email me
thelocalspine@hotmail.com