The Family Tree extending its reach to the pow wow trail

By Rick Garrick

GARDEN RIVER — The Family Tree Native Arts and Crafts looks forward to selling their products once again on the pow wow trail after having success at the Little NHL (Native Hockey League) tournament last month in Mississauga.

“I was just at the Little NHL for four days,” says Anthony Perreault, manager at The Family Tree and Garden River citizen. “It was great. I know some people in Toronto where I get sage and [other items], so I sold some stuff, bought some more stuff and brought it back to the store.”

Perreault’s mother Della Perreault established The Family Tree in 2002 in Garden River, and they began selling their products on the pow wow trail about 10 years ago.

“Back in the day, we made it to 15-20 pow wows from May until October, and during the week we try to get into conferences and [events] to set up,” Perreault says, noting that he uses a trailer to carry many of the products from the store for sale at pow wows, conferences, and meetings. “They’ll see our trailer out on the pow wow trail, it’s got our name on it with a big Medicine Wheel on the back. When people see our trailer on the road they wave at us or honk at us — it feels good.”

Perreault says going on the road with the trailer to pow wows and other events is a way to expand their market.

“Your market is way huger when you’re constantly on the road,” Perreault says. “You make more sales going to see more customers.”

Perreault, who has travelled with the trailer as far south as Sarnia, east to Ottawa and north to Thunder Bay, says he meets many people and also makes contacts while on the pow wow trail.

“You get a lot of contacts for more items for the store,” Perreault says. “I found out where to get feathers, I found out where to get sweetgrass, I found out where to get traditional tobacco.”

Perreault says they have bought products for the store from B.C., Quebec, Toronto, and the United States.

“We bought some copper cups from Colorado,” Perreault says. “We buy clothes and books and cups [from a company in B.C.]. We used to get flannel jackets and we get moccasins from [Quebec].”

Perreault says The Family Tree also sells a variety of other products, including herbal soaps and lotions, greeting cards, Pendleton blankets, leather purses, beaded mitts, framed prints, and original paintings.

“The store also stocks craft supplies, a large selection of beads, supplies to make dream catchers and leather pieces for that perfect project,” Perreault says.

Perreault says they also sell Anishinaabemowin author Patricia Ningewance’s Pocket Ojibwe and Gookom’s Language books.

“I just ordered some more because we’re out, those books sell very well,” Perreault says. “People are getting back into wanting to learn the language.”

Perreault says they have also bought products such as artwork, leatherwork, and jewellery over the years from people who stop in at the store, which is located at 406 Hwy. 17B East in Garden River, while travelling through the area.

“We buy stuff and sell stuff,” Perreault says. “Our store is sort of getting known. When they come through Garden River to Sault Ste. Marie, people stop in just to see what we have.”

Perreault says the family sawmill business that his grandfather had built in the 1970s contributed the lumber that was used on the exterior and interior walls of the store.

“Whenever somebody walks in they just admire the smell because there’s sweetgrass, there’s sage, there’s cedar, and then they run right up to the wood stove to warm up their hands,” Perreault says. “I’ve got retired snowshoes hanging on the roof, that’s where I hang the dream catchers from.”

For more information, please visit The Family Tree website:  https://www.loc8nearme.com/ontario/garden-river/the-family-tree/7338212/