Signs Of Generosity: Halifax Family Business Helps People In Need
This story is part of a series called, Business Does Good, stories about Maritime companies contributing time and money to making their communities stronger.
HALIFAX – Kelly Leights considers herself lucky to have a business that she loves while being able to create works of art with her family. Her business, aptly titled, A Family Affair Wooden Custom Creations, sells unique wooden crafts made by Leights’ family.
The business has boomed since it began three years ago. At that time, the business was mainly Leight making and selling burlap wreaths. But one day, Kelly had a chat with her father, Bruce Eisan, and they decided to do something different.
“I think we need to expand,” she told her father.
Bruce is a carpenter who can create amazing woodwork out of a design. Since 2018, the family has been making and selling such things as wooden signs, wooden flowers, tall snowmen, toy boxes, and many other custom designs as requested by the customer.
Each family member has their own responsibility. Kelly does the matting and design, Bruce, of course, does the woodworking, and her mother, Wendy Eisan, does the staining and painting. Even Kelly’s young children, nieces, and nephews help out with the business.
The family has been busy over the past three years, especially since Kelly and her father both work full-time jobs on top of their custom creations business.
“We could start at 4 o’clock in the afternoon and keep working ‘til 1 o’clock at night, then start again the next day,” says Kelly.
Many businesses suffered in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but A Family Affair Wooden Custom Creations had, by far, their best year, with sales up 85 percent. They even had one day where they received 75 orders.
“We have actually sold out of product because we can’t get the supply for it, because there’s just no wood to be had,” says Kelly.
“It’s something that began as a part-time hobby, but these past eight months have been a full-time job.”
One of their most popular products was a wooden creation of the Nova Scotia flower. With all the hardships the province faced this year, people wanted to show some Nova Scotian pride.
“With everything that has taken place in Nova Scotia, that they just went through the roof,” explained Kelly. “We actually did over 300 of them and we sold out.”
With business doing so well, Kelly and her family decided they should give back to the community. They knew there were people in Halifax struggling through Covid to get the bare essentials, so that’s where their charity work began.
“This year, with Covid, I know a lot of businesses are struggling, but we have had our best year yet,” said Leights
“I said: why don’t we see if we can help out some organizations that are having a hard time. We had heard about the poverty and how it’s really increasing here in Halifax.”
The family started by selling Covid-19 related wooden signs that read “Stay The Blazes Home” and “Wash Your Hands You Filthy Animals.” These signs raised $600 that all went to providing lunches 250 at Hope Cottage, located on Brunswick Street.
Hope Cottage is an organization that provides daily meals to those in need. During the Pandemic, the organization has had to hand out bagged lunches to go, rather than allow people to sit inside.
On Christmas, Hope Cottage also hands out bags of clothing, toiletries, and other essentials. Kelly and her family sold $350 worth of wooden Nova Scotia flowers for this initiative. With the proceeds they provided Hope Cottage with enough hats, gloves, toothpaste, toothbrushes and razors for 60 people.
Linda Taggart, who helps run Hope Cottage, says A Family Affair’s generosity hasn’t gone unnoticed.
“When Covid came into play, they just started donating,” said Taggart.
“The support has been continuous and we’re forever grateful for that support.”
Hope Cottage gets no money from the government and relies entirely on community support. They have been in the city for 50 years and receives support from dozens of different businesses and groups.
Leights and her family also wanted to help make sure children in Halifax, who come from low-income homes, would have toys on Christmas morning. They went to Toys R Us and purchased hundreds of dollars of games and toys for Operation Fill a Dump Truck – an event that will provide more than 1,000 toys to children this year.
But there is another person that A Family Affair has helped during this difficult year – Kelly herself. She is currently taking time off work due to depression. Like many other people with mental health issues, 2020 has been a triggering time.
Back in 1999, Kelly almost died when she spent six weeks in hospital with viral encephalitis. The experience left her with PTSD and made her prone to severe depression. Having her business (and hobby) has helped her cope with her mental health struggles.
“These past ten months have been really bad. I’ve had medication increases…it’s been a difficult year for sure.”
“It’s kept me sane, actually – just trying to keep my mind busy.”
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