Garnish Revelstoke

Arleigh Garratt has found her niche designing jewelry in the city of Revelstoke

1 of 3Arleigh Garratt loves the time she spends at her bench designing creative pieces. — Photo courtesy Arleigh Garratt

2 of 3The Garnish showroom has an appealing setup for shoppers. — Photo courtesy Arleigh Garratt

3 of 3Utilizing snowflakes is one of Garratt's design signatures. — Photo courtesy Arleigh Garratt

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“I grew up in my parents' florist shop—the oldest florist in Vancouver—so I have literally been doing retail since I could walk,” said Arleigh Garratt, owner of Garnish in Revelstoke.

Garratt is still doing retail, but instead of flowers, she now sells quality handcrafted jewelry as well as doing custom work and repairs.

“I had always dabbled in art, but never thought of it as a career,” said Garratt. “After the death of my father in 2003 I needed to refocus. I took the (Vancouver Community College) jewelry art and design program, and received an award for excellence in design. I have been pursuing a career as a jeweller ever since.”

The opportunity for Garratt to open Garnish came in May of 2012. She took over the lease of the location along with front-end displays and rear-studio equipment. With the approach of her one-year anniversary, Garratt is pleased to have built a retail boutique and proud that she can feature local work.

“I have 14 Canadian jewellers in the boutique,” said Garratt. “Two of us work out of the studio in the rear, and I have one other Revelstoke jeweller. The other 11 I have added to showcase what amazing talent Canada has. I pride myself on only featuring Canadian artists.”

Garratt and her husband moved to Revelstoke in 2009. They now have a daughter and Garratt keeps engaged creatively while also running a business that artists are beginning to seek out. Eventually, Garratt hopes to feature revolving artists, which will help ensure fresh and evolving wares. Currently, many of Garnish’s clients are visiting or from Revelstoke. However, Garnish markets throughout the Kootenays, an easy choice since jewelry is easy to ship. For now, Garratt said, she’s happy with the place that life has brought her.

“We love everything about Revelstoke,” said Garratt. “For me, the supportive arts community has been essential, as well as the community support for families. I had our daughter in 2011. Needless to say, things have been busy, but living in such a supportive community with so many young families has been amazing.”