Josie Saddleback prepares Jewelry for an upcoming Cree market in Edmonton (Derek Brade/CHATNewsToday)

By Tiffany Goodwein

Creating from home

City sees increase in home-based business permits

Nov 30, 2021 | 4:43 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB–Bead by bead, Josie Saddleback strings jewelry together for a market this weekend in Edmonton.

Saddleback, an Indigenous artist is one of many people who started their own home-based business this year.

“I make crystal jewelry so I make bracelets, rings earrings, necklaces. I also like to do dreamcatchers, butterfly shadowboxes, and next year I’m looking into getting into Native American beadwork,” she said.

Amanda Brinda is the director of development services for the City of Medicine Hat. She said business permits are up 56 per cent this year and half of the new permits are for home-based businesses.

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” We are continuing to see an upward trend in home-based business applications. So far this year they are on track to be almost double what they were even last year, which was also an increase,” Brinda said.

Brinda said the pandemic, may of had a lot to do with the increase.

” They are maybe looking at ways to get a new source of income because of things happening throughout the source of the pandemic, and they are looking for supplementary income and they are just starting out,” she said.

Saddleback who started her business in June isn’t surprised that more Hatters are choosing to launch a business from their home.

“Honestly I feel like people are just bored at home being isolated from COVID-19, and I noticed there was a lot of growth within the year,” she said, noting support for new home-based businesses in the city has been strong.

Aside from being her own boss and in charge of her own schedule, she said her home-based business also provides her self-care.

“If I’m feeling stressed out or something. I just get into creating and it turns the negative thoughts away and so I turn that energy into positive energy,” she said.

All from the comforts of her own home which Saddleback says she won’t be leaving anytime soon.

“I feel like it is something that I come home from work and I’m like Oh my god I can’t wait to go home and work on this, and I’m just dying to come home,” she said.