‘It has been such fun’
Thrift shop owner pleased after nearly first full year in business
Lisa MacLeod loves to tell the story of how her thrift shop got its name.
“My husband Gerald retired from lobster fishing two years ago after 30 years. The name of his boat, the Knot Too Bad, came from his father who died from lung cancer,” she said. “No matter how bad his dad felt, when we asked him how he was, the response was always ‘oh, not too bad,’ even if he was feeling awful.”
When her husband sold his boat, MacLeod said she decided to name her new shop Knot Too Bad and help keep the memory of his dad alive.
“You wouldn’t believe how many people come in the shop, and when I ask how they are, most often their response is ‘not too bad’ — it’s just a different spelling.”
MacLeod opened her shop on July 19 and it wasn’t long before she decided to remain open year-round.
She said her first summer was crazy amazing, the fall was good and the winter was a little slow, which she expected.
“I’ll continue to stay open in the winter for the communities north of Smokey, to give them another place to shop. I ended up being open four days a week during the winter months, which worked out well,” she said.
“Having a place to go gets people out of the house and they seem to like the convenience of having this type of shop close to home.”
Prior to opening her business, MacLeod was happy as a stayat-home mom.
“My 10-year-old son James is really shy and being in the shop helps him come out of his shell,” MacLeod said. “I have an older daughter Kayla, who also helps me in the shop, and my husband renovated the shop from a free-standing building on the property, so the whole family is involved in some way.”
MacLeod said she offers a variety of gently used clothing, along with unusual items and what she likes to refer to as knick-knacks.
“After being a stay-at-home mom for the past decade, it was so nice to talk to adults again,” she said. “This is crazy that at age 46, I decided to open a small business. My mother used to laugh because I’m not a clothing type person, but I always look for bargains and it has been such fun.”
To keep track of where her customers are from, MacLeod asks them to sign a canvas board.
“We get a lot of tourists from all over Canada and the U.S. and as far away as Italy and the U.K.”