ETC Gifts is holding a grand opening celebration featuring giveaways and other promotions on Saturday June 24 that their 166 Water Street location.

ETC is a new downtown shop that almost exclusively sells Canadian-made products, along with a large selection of items made here in Newfoundland and Labrador.

“We want the store to have a vibe that feels natural, refreshing, and local, those three words really sum it up,” said co-owner Jennifer Lacey. “When you come in to the store, our floor is sparkly blue, which to us symbolizes water, the walls are a glistening white and there’s a refreshing ocean scent in the store.”

ETC sells a wide variety of natural products including Newfoundland-made soaps and skincare items, candles, and clothing made from bamboo. The shop’s most popular sellers are items from East Coast Glow, a company based in Bonavista that produces soaps made from natural, local ingredients.

“A lot of local restaurants like Raymonds, Merchant’s Tavern, and Mallard Cottage use East Coast Glow liquid soap in their bathrooms. People will come in looking for the soap because they used it in a washroom, it’s that nice. So we carry every single product that East Coast Glow manufactures,” Lacey said.

ETC is also proud to offer one of the widest selections of bamboo apparel in the province. They carry lots of everyday wear made from bamboo as well as a nightwear line. This fall, they’ll begin carrying a new line of bamboo apparel for men.

“If you’ve ever worn bamboo clothing, you’ll know it’s very comfortable, on a hot day it’ll keep you feeling cool,” Lacey said.

This Saturday, ETC will be giving away a bamboo nightgown as part of their grand opening celebrations. They’ll also give away a basket of local bath products valued at $300.00. People can participate in the giveaways either by dropping down to the store on Saturday, or by liking and sharing a post on ETC’s Facebook page.

ETC are also holding a special in-store contest for their grand opening celebration. They are inviting people to try and solve a Newfoundland Rubix Cube, when the puzzle is complete, each side makes an image of Newfoundland instead of a solid colour. The first person to unscramble the puzzle gets to keep the cube.

ETC’s owners are eager to connect with their customers and they see the opening celebration as an opportunity to have some fun with new and familiar faces.

“We understand that not everybody wants to have a conversation with the shop owners when they come into a store, but we’re really big on getting to know our customers. We don’t expect everyone who comes in to buy something, we appreciate it when people pop in to say hi and have a chat,” Lacey said.