Our Life is Good Story
Our Story
We are proud to be Canada’s premiere Life is Good® Genuine Neighbourhood Shop, independently owned and operated since April 2008. From the beginning, our goal has been to offer an engaging shopping experience that stays true to the roots of the brand (spreading optimism and joy) while carrying the full line of Life is Good products, both in-store and online.
Life is Good in Westport…
“The journey is the destination.”
It’s one of the most powerful messages woven into the fabric of the Life is Good philosophy, and one that changed my life forever.
In 2007, what seemed like an ordinary day took an unexpected turn when I walked into a Life is Good shop and met “Jake,” the smiling face behind the brand. I didn’t fully understand his meaning at the time, but something in that moment shifted for me. I walked out of that shop knowing, without question,that my life had just changed.
That summer was a difficult one for both my husband, John, and me. He had recently left his professional career, and I was searching for meaning in mine. Yet that encounter with Jake reignited something I had always believed: that things are what we make them to be. Optimism lives inside all of us, even when it gets clouded by challenges or distractions.
As we drove away from that first Life is Good shop, John put his hand on my shoulder and said, “Everything is going to be okay.”
He was right.
I became determined to help others rediscover their inner optimist and to see the good, even when life gets messy. After months of planning and hard work, John and I opened the doors to the first Canadian Life is Good Shop right here in Westport, Ontario on April 4, 2008. I’ll never forget our very first sale: an aqua soccer ball.
That was the start of a journey that grew far beyond products, it became about people, community, and connection.
More Than a Shop
Selling Tee shirts is the easy part. Demonstrating optimism and leading by example, that’s the real work, and it’s what I take to heart every single day.
Our customers (our Life is Good family) share their lives with us:
celebrations of marriage and new beginnings, victories over illness, moments of courage and remembrance, and joyful returns of our summer residents who feel like they are “coming home.”
Each story shared in our shop reminds me why we do what we do. The optimism that connects us isn’t just printed on our tees, it’s lived and felt in every conversation, every laugh, every tear, and every moment of gratitude.
I invite you to share your story, too.
Because together, we make life good.
Gratefully,
Cynthia
Life is Good Westport
14 Bedford Street, Box 424
Westport, Ontario CANADA
613-273-8292
optimist@lifeisgoodwestport.com