The Read | Behind the Business
Meeting Jillian Harris: Entrepreneurship, Boots & Vintage
2-minute read
A few months ago, Jillian Harris and I met for a coffee at Le Marché St. George, a quaint corner store selling artisanal products and delicious lattes in Vancouver. I knew I was going to like Jillian the moment I stepped inside the Provence-inspired shop filled with “It’s to Die for” banana bread, Salt Spring gelato and artisan cheeses. I love it when a person carefully selects a meeting place!
Confession: I've never watched Jillian on The Bachelorette, and I haven’t seen an episode of Love it or List it. When we met, we didn’t chat about either. Instead, we talked about something we both know intimately: entrepreneurship. Less than 6-months apart, I started Poppy Barley and Jillian launched Charlie Ford, a beautiful online boutique of antique goods, including tabletop décor, rugs, art and jewelry. For both of us, our businesses are family affairs, me working with my sister Justine, and Jillian alongside her cousin Tori.
Given we’re both building e-commerce companies, we had such a good discussion. There is nothing better than a conversation with a smart, fellow entrepreneur. Naturally, we talked about Poppy Barley. I showed Jillian our flats and boots. She wanted a pair right away (you can read about her entire Poppy Barley experience here and see her wearing The Downtown Boot in Kaki at the top of this post).