BIG LAKE—From Capetown, South Africa to Grimsby, Ontario to Manitoulin Island.
This is the route the McCarthy family followed before settling permanently on the shore of Big Lake. Like so many of us, they had visited the Island, fell in love with everything Manitoulin and decided to live and work here.
Delray and Sean bought the Maple Grove Cottages property on Digby Side Road, but that is not the only business there.
Ms. McArthur also has a shop beside the office, and there are many treasures to be had there. She named the business, which is also online, Eenvoudig, an Afrikaans word meaning ‘simple,’ as she believes one should live a simple life. She has been making children’s clothing for five years, and there is a wide variety on hand, from newborn to size six. There are rompers, caps, bibs, underwear, dresses and two-piece pyjamas. There are cloth inserts for diapers that fit inside the plastic cover and can then be taken out for washing. Ms. McCarthy has also made prints for materials that pertains to the Island and say ‘Manitoulin,’ ‘take a hike,’ ‘explore’ and ‘the lake is a happy place.’ Ms. McCarthy also does custom clothing and has made matching moms and daughters dresses for photo shoots or, perhaps, weddings. All the material used is made in Canada.
Ms. McCarthy also has beeswax wraps on hand. She buys the wax locally, melts it down and then adds jojoba oil to make it flexible. These wraps are used to cover dishes slated for the fridge. She also has soy candles in reusable jar containers from British Columbia.
There are also towel bags, hats, lolly covers, and blankets for sale as well as items from other artisans. Glenna Treasure has beautiful pottery on display, some with warm blue colours while the Old Soul Company has ‘the happy camper,’ all natural camping kit. This set has alcohol free hand soap, honey and hemp shampoo, bug bite balm, calendula salve and ‘no more Deet’ bug-off stick and spray.
The McCarthys have three children: Aiden, 14, Connor, 11, and Logan, seven. Aiden also has a business. He has his paintings on display in the store and he also pet sits for the Maple Grove Cottagers who want to leave their dogs behind while they explore Manitoulin, go shopping, or out for dinner.
The McCarthys have a world map in their office with pushpins showing the different countries that visitors have come from including China, South Korea, the Philippines, one of the Canary Islands, Israel, and the United Kingdom as well as most European countries, and some of the stories were shared with The Expositor. Ms. McCarthy told of one couple who had relatives in Newfoundland. They flew from New Zealand to British Columbia, rented a car, travelled across Canada, and then on to our farthest province. Another trip saw three sisters, each from a different country, get together on Manitoulin.
Ms. McCarthy has made it easy for people to buy some of her products. The clothing is available year-round at the store, online for delivery, or one can order online and pick up at the shop. Christmas presents can be shipped out of town. Credit cards are accepted.
For more information, phone 705-377-4916 or email mccarthyenseuns@gmail.com. Find all of Eenvoudig children’s clothing on Etsy.
