A mother-daughter duo from New Brunswick have touched hearts of small-town Canadians with their line of clothing that has them tugging at hoodies and heart strings.
Like so many young folks from small towns across Canada, Emma Graham, 18, from Sussex is heading off to Acadia University in Wolfville, N.S. in the fall.
Wanting to make sure her daughter is prepared financially to head off on her own, her mother, Leeann Graham, and she launched a clothing line of casual wear called “Small Town Heritage” to help pay for Emma’s tuition.
“It was very unexpected. We didn’t think it was going to blow up as much as it did,” said Emma who launched the line with her mother in August 2023.
The response from across the country since shipping out their first sweatshirt last summer, Emma said. It has been overwhelming, “to find out that people are wearing them from around Canada it is pretty crazy.”
“I want her to know that she doesn’t have to depend on people that she is smart enough to run her own life,” her mother said.
Those deep family roots were top of mind when the pair designed the logo for their brand, “for us it was the perfect logo because we grow together,” Leeann said.
The logo includes the tree of life, which she says is a symbol of family and small town roots all in one.
The concept is clearly resonating with small towners across the country as people from as far away as northern Canada has been sporting their sweatshirts said Emma, embracing the pride of small-town living.
“It just touched people maybe,” said Emma.
Life was not easy for Leeann, who says she was a young single mother that spent time in a women’s shelter with her children trying to make it on her own. It’s that resilience she hopes to pass on to Emma as they bond over the business.
“My mom worked really, really hard to give us that life that we have she fought for everything,” Emma said.
Leeann said she wants to teach her daughter resilience and humility at the same time “be able to know what the responsibility is to earn her own money,” she said.
The mother daughter duo is currently selling their products through their Facebook page but they are getting ready to launch a new online order site after going through a slight name change in the new year.