Tonic Living is a Canadian success story, an online business that’s been around almost as long as the internet itself. In 2000, Janine Morrison and her husband Jon Beer were selling vintage collectibles on eBay when they stumbled upon a really big lot of 1950s and 60s fabric on the bolt. The pair’s nascent textile business exploded and soon they were shipping samples all around the world. Seven years ago they took the plunge and built their own site, shifting their focus from vintage to new fabric in retro styles at extremely competitive prices.
“When we started out, our aesthetic was very niche,” says Janine, “but it’s gone completely mainstream; today, you can find these looks at Target.”
Tonic Living has also expanded its service from just fabric to custom sewing of pillows, cushions, futon covers and draperies. One thing I like about the company’s website is that it provides complementary fabric suggestions with each query–sure helps for the pattern-challenged among us. Janine observes that no one style is dominating right now, not the way damasks did for the past few years, and interest in Tonic’s organic products is really surging.
A fabric queen from way back, Janine personally chooses the patterns and weights that make it into the Tonic Living line-up. “It has to resonate for me or I won’t carry it,” she says.
Tonic is based in Toronto, where all their sewing is done, and orders can be placed in either Canadian or U.S. dollars. A friend of mine who has ordered from them tells me the Tonic Living service experience was superb.
“The best part, for me, is when people send us pictures of what they’ve made from our fabrics,” says Janine, who plans to add a testimonials page to the Tonic Living website where she’ll post some of those pics. At left is a snap from a diner in Milwaukee called The National where the draperies are made from Tonic Living fabric.
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