Penetanguishene's Marnie & Michael and Creemore 100 Mile Store collaborate to benefit Centre for Addiction and Mental Health

Penetanguishene's Marnie & Michael and Creemore 100 Mile Store collaborate to benefit Centre for Addiction and Mental Health

Marnie & Michael’s partnership with the 100 Mile Store will also support Water First, which works to provide access to safe, clean drinking water in Indigenous communities.

Two Simcoe County entrepreneurs have joined forces to raise funds for two causes near and dear to their hearts.

Marnie & Michael, a Penetanguishene studio that produces handcrafted leather bags and accessories, has partnered with sustainable water bottle company the Soggy Puffin and the 100 Mile Store on a cross-charity promotion with the sale of their bag-and-bottle bundle.

Up to 15 per cent of the profits from every bag sold will support Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) Simcoe County initiatives, and one dollar from every bottle sold will be donated to Water First, an organization providing sustainable access to safe, clean water in Indigenous communities.

“We have always believed that the way to make a greater impact is in collaborating with like-minded companies to help raise funds or awareness for our mission,” said Jennifer St. John, a mental health advocate and founder of Marnie & Michael.

St. John’s mother, Marnie, suffered from bipolar disorder, and was undiagnosed and untreated for the first 52 years of her life. Sharing her experiences with mental illness and working to reduce the stigma around mental health has been a focus for St. John ever since she opened her store in 2020.

“We have quite a bit of open and honest conversations around mental health,” she said. “We write blogs every month and we talk about it on social media all the time.”

Last year St. John was approached by Linda DeWinter, who wanted to sell Marnie & Michael bags in her Soggy Puffin store. She later pitched the idea of creating a bag that would fit the sustainable, glass “soulbottles” she sells.

During the course of the past six months, designs were sketched out, and prototypes were created, tested and finalized. Two bags were created: an urban bag and an adventure bag. They launched the cross-promotion on Nov. 3 and have received an amazing response.

“Consumers know they have a lot of power in choosing what they buy,” said DeWinter. “This collaboration just further supports both companies' mission statements and the social impact potential the retail market can make.”

The bag and bottle combo can be purchased at the 100 Mile Store or at marnieandmichael.com.

SEE ARTICLE IN SIMCOE.COM HERE.