With tariffs on just about everything and pressure to protect Canada’s sovereignty, businesses have been pressured to find creative ideas to ensure their longevity. The team at Rob McIntosh has embraced this challenge and put Canadian companies, products and souvenirs forefront in its store in Lancaster with the opening of Canada House.
Three attached buildings offer shoppers the chance to browse through a variety of Canadiana souvenirs, perfect for displaying your pride or adding a little maple leaf décor to your home. Also available for purchase are colourful Indigenous art clothing items, cards and puzzles. Canadian Manitobah mukluk boots, shoes and slippers are for sale. The soft-soled footwear is available in different styles & colours, some with patterns, and all are cozy warm for Canadian weather.
Rob McIntosh’s Canada House also features Sebastien & Groome Canadian-made tablecloths, offering a variety of patterns and prints. Maxwell Pottery serving pieces are available for sale in this Canadian-focused group of shops. This pottery company has been creating unique items for over 30 years, including its popular canoe-on-the-lake dip set.
Shoppers are also welcomed into the largest display of Canadian brand Tilley hats and clothing items. Tilley hats have been a summer staple for sun protection and come with a lifetime guarantee. Canadian Alex Tilley, who needed a durable sailing hat and couldn’t find a suitable hat to purchase, decided to create his own quality hat. The clothing pieces complement the iconic hats for men & women, offering classic summer dresses, shorts, polos, t-shirts and pants for men & women.
The McIntosh history of retailing goes all the way back to 1906 when McIntosh & Watts started in Ottawa, selling tabletop items, coffee, tea and gifts. Over the years, the family-owned business evolved to importing fine bone china, eventually including the iconic McIntosh Mugs that perfect a cup of tea or coffee. Rob McIntosh in South Glengarry opened its doors in 1979, a collection of historical buildings, gathered on one plot of land, offering unique products for kitchen, dining and food preparation, along with clothing items, games, the best Christmas globe selection and, of course, beautiful mugs.
According to Alex McIntosh, the family felt strongly about finding a way to showcase some of the great Canadian companies and their products. Shoppers have been very supportive of the initiative and enjoy knowing there is a one-stop shop in South Glengarry, locally owned, offering products that are focused exclusively on Canada. Every purchase made at Rob McIntosh, supports a Canadian retailer supporting a Canadian entrepreneur. And of course, owning a set of iconic McIntosh mugs emblazoned with a red maple leaf would help remind just how great Canada is.
