Local Business Spotlight: Marais Made & Roam & Whimsy Co.

The Local Business Spotlight highlights our local business community’s economic strength and innovation. This feature is brought to you in partnership with Visit Cook County and the Cook County Chamber of Commerce.

For Gina Joyce, a decision to move to Grand Marais, leave the corporate world, and start a family led her down the path to connect with her creative side and ultimately venture into the North Shore small business community. 

This March, Joyce, owner of Marais Made, a collection of handcrafted crocheted and artisan items, will celebrate her one-year anniversary of starting a small business in Grand Marais. 

“That milestone means a lot,” Joyce said. “Because it was a big leap of faith to start that. But I really was encouraged by the community.”

After moving to Grand Marais in the Fall of 2022 and soon after having a daughter, she attended Fiber Circle gatherings at Dappled Fern Fibers in Grand Marais. “It was such a great space, and I felt inspired. But I also didn’t know how to knit,” she said. Joyce continued attending and, before long, learned how to crochet unique toys, animals, and home goods. 

With support and encouragement from fellow local creators and her family, Joyce took a leap of faith and started Marais Made to sell her newly handcrafted items.

“There’s everything from little crocheted cups to fish garland and bunnies, seagulls, chickens,” Joyce said. In addition, she crochets succulents and baskets. “It’s really been fun to watch it evolve. I continue to try to make new products all the time.”

Crocheted Chickens – photo by Marais Made

This past summer, Joyce sold her handcrafted products at the Cook County Market on Saturdays in downtown Grand Marais. She said she enjoyed selling her crocheted goods, meeting new people, and working alongside other creative vendors and that she soon began crafting ways to provide a similar opportunity during the winter months. 

“So I started to think about how I could do more of this because I love it so much,” she said. Her vision came to life last month as she debuted a whimsical mobile shop called Roam & Whimsy Co. during the Grand Marais Holiday Harbor Village event. 

“The whole goal of the trailer is to kind of bring a sense of surprise and delight to folks,” Joyce said. The trailer serves as a place to sell her Marais Made items and to support other local, national, and international artists. “I try to get things in the shop that are interesting to a variety of people and tastes and budgets so that hopefully everyone can try to find a treasure.”

Roam & Whimsy Co. Trailer – Photo by Marais Made

In addition to owning and operating two small businesses, Joyce has been busy working in collaboration with The Hub and the Cook County Chamber of Commerce to provide opportunities for local artists to sell products in the winter months. The result of the collaboration will begin on Feb. 3 with a Cook County winter market. Similar to the summer market, Joyce said, but indoors and just a bit warmer. 

The winter market will take place the first Saturday of each month through May 4. “We’ve got some great vendors lined up,” Joyce said. “Hopefully, this is a way to help give these vendors and creators another outlet to sell in the offseason.”

Now that Joyce is nearing the one-year milestone of starting her Marais Made business, she said the small business community has been incredibly welcoming and supportive of her efforts. “I can’t express how grateful I am for how welcoming this community is,” she said. “I think that’s the reason that these businesses have started for me because I felt encouraged and welcomed to try.”

WTIP’s Kalli Hawkins spoke with Gina Joyce, the owner of Marais Made and Roam & Whimsy Co., in the latest edition of the Local Business Spotlight, which is produced in collaboration with Visit Cook County and the Cook County Chamber of Commerce. Audio from the feature is below.

Kalli Hawkins January 24, 2024