Welcome to The Shop! Photo by my rad pal Akane Kondo Photography.
Located in the heart of uptown White Rock & on the traditional, unceded territory of the Semiahmoo First Nation & broader territory of the Coast Salish Peoples, our mission at The Handpicked Home is to provide our customers with a unique & fulfilling shopping experience through introducing handpicked & locally designed home décor & gift items, meant to warm the heart & home. From homewares to gourmet foods & inspiring items for our littlest babes, our shop will allow you to decorate your home & gift-give through a style that is truly unique & reflective of you!
Opened in the Summer of 2015, The Handpicked Home continues to grow daily and add to its unique product mix to keep customers excited for what more is in store. For all eight wonderful years we’ve been open, the shop has been voted each year a combination of Best Home Decor Shop, Best Gift Shop and Best Art & Collectable Shop of the Peninsula by readers of the Peace Arch News! I have also been nominated for People's Choice Award from Small Business BC for 2017, and Business Person of the Year for South Surrey & White Rock in 2018. I was honored to be awarded 2019’s Business Leader of the Year (U40) from the South Surrey & White Rock Chamber of Commerce, and 2020 was finished off by being awarded Best Customer Service in White Rock by the White Rock Business Improvement Association, as well as Best Artisan Product Provider of the Year by the Canada Prestige Awards. 2021 & 2022 brought nominations for Best Youth Entrepreneur through Small Business BC & RBC’s Women of Influence Awards; award for Top Business in the 2021 Travel & Hospitality Awards; Best Business in Canada through the Canadian Business Review Board; Gift Shop of the Year 2022 & 2023 by the Canada Prestige Awards, and the recent honor of Young Entrepreneur of the Year for 2023 from the White Rock BIA — and I am eternally grateful for all your continuous support.
Bringing back the fun, connected, human side to shopping — that is our goal for our customers. We hope you enjoy The Handpicked Home as much as we enjoy having you. As always, thank you for supporting local & all your small shop love!
Community Love
My intention when opening The Handpicked Home was to be a valuable member of the community in a meaningful way; the bigger the footprint I created for myself, the more of a positive difference I hoped to make. Donating to local, charitable organizations is an integral part of how I strive to make a difference & share the community love, & Kindred Community Farm Sanctuary has been one of those partners of the shop for several years. To my great honor, last year, I became an official member of Kindred’s Board of Directors.
Why Is Kindred Farm So Special?
Because it believes in the transformative powers of the human-animal bond. A bond so powerful, it has the potential to heal physical & emotional pain. We know that when humans & animals have the opportunity to be together in a safe place, sharing love & kindness, the healing powers of that special bond occur.
Many studies have shown the impact of this bond, but that’s not the only reason Kindred believes it. They believe it because they see it for themselves every day. They watch as children, adults & animals overcome their trauma, rebuild trust, make friendships, connect with nature & learn how to love themselves, & others, again.
Through this healing, we can all see the happiness that results. Happiness that spreads well beyond the farm—& out to the world. That’s Kindred Farm’s impact. Want to learn more about this beautiful organization? Send me an email anytime!
I am so grateful to share my story among 49 other wonderful women in business who are full of achievement, inspiration & love. Now available in-store & on the Our Goods page for online purchase — signed specially with a note inside for you!
Recently, I had the opportunity to share some small shop insight with Workshop Magazine. Peek the full story for more!
May 30, 2022 | Workshop & its panel of retailers shared tips & answered questions on selling wholesale, getting your products into shops & what it takes to cultivate strong relationships with buyers. I was grateful to be a panelist & hope it helped to provide some insight for our wonderful makers!
Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2023! Thank you to the White Rock BIA & my beautiful community for this wonderful honor & recognition!
A little tour of our Gourmet Foods section! Photo by lovely lady Allyfotografy Media Co.
Many photos on our site can be credited to Akane Kondo Photography, Allyfotografy Media Co, Kaylyn Barr Photography, Megan Keane Media & Landmark Living. Thank you for your interest in connecting with us!
TALKING SHOP
With Edible Canada
D Fretter & I talk shop, music & friendship in this hour-long Podcast-sesh! We hope you enjoy getting to know a little more about this small business life. Contains some explicit content.