After suffering from a stroke  in August of 2019, Nella Noakes quit her high-stress corporate job to focus on her health. Little did Nella know, less than a year later, she’d be opening her own retail shop, Unique Town Boutique.

Nella’s stroke left her paralyzed on the right side of her body, forcing her to stay home and attend weekly rehabilitation sessions. After each session, Nella found herself frequenting Downtown Whitby, occupying her newly found time with visits to local shops and restaurants. Nella quickly fell in love with historic Downtown Whitby.

Nella spent much of December 2019 in Downtown Whitby. When Nella wasn’t Downtown, she was at home watching Hallmark movies – many of which portrayed charming and welcoming communities that reminded her a lot of Whitby. Around the same time, Nella attended a holiday market, where she was able to meet several local makers.

The decision to return to work was looming over Nella. She knew that she wasn’t interested in returning to her previous role and recognized that she had the rare chance to make a huge career change. It was shortly after meeting the local makers that Nella realized she wanted to create a space where she could feel the sense of community, connectedness, and passion that she had felt over the holiday season, all year round.

Shortly after, Nella set up a meeting with Tom Oldman, owner of The Promenade of Whitby at Mary St. and Byron St. Both Tom and Nella shared a vision; to transform The Promenade by filling vacant storefronts and creating a one-stop retail shopping experience for residents and visitors alike. Nella knew that her business had the potential to create a buzz and bring more people to the space.

Nella worked tirelessly to prepare for the opening of Unique Town Boutique in March 2020 but was unable to open during this time due to the pandemic. While many business owners would be frustrated by the delayed opening, Nella described it as a blessing in disguise:

I used the time we were unable to open as an opportunity to continue to grow my business. I originally had seven makers onboard but grew to 40 by the time we opened. I also had a website built, I joined the Whitby Chamber, and I engaged with the Downtown Whitby BIA. Most importantly, I continued to heal from my stroke.

Nella Noakes, Owner of Unique Town Boutique

After opening in October  2020, Unique Town Boutique has had tremendous success in the past two years and is nominated this year as the Whitby Chamber’s New Business of the Year. Over 70 makers have joined Unique Town Boutique, offering local, handmade products from soap to jewellery, to clothing, to hot sauces. The shop was recently remodelled to create more space, which has allowed for more makers and a better retail shopping experience.

While Nella focuses on continuing the success of her retail shop, she is also working to grow The Loft at UTB – a space for both makers and community members to host workshops, events, photography sessions, and more. Nella describes The Loft at UTB as an “all-purpose space”.

Nella notes that much of Unique Town Boutique’s success can be attributed to her monthly pop-up events. These pop-up markets help fulfil the vision Nella and Tom shared by bringing hundreds of guests to The Promenade each month. The pop-up markets feature an additional 30 local makers, along with local musicians and food vendors.

Nella is excited to host her favourite pop-up market, Whitby’s Winter Wonderland at the Promenade again this year, which serves as a satellite location for the Downtown Whitby BIA’s annual Christmas Market. The Christmas Market will return on Friday, December 2 and Saturday, December 3, 2022. Whitby’s Winter Wonderland will run from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on the Saturday.

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