the slowdown mercantile

Hello and welcome to my little general store. Did you hear the bells jingle when you walked through the heavy glazed door? Can you smell the old wood and see the worn grooves from the shuffling feet in the aisles? Yes, the old linen curtains could use a shake and the earl grey tea rings on my desk could use a wipe, but what does it matter? We’re all into what’s real over what’s glossy here, yes?

Every one of the products listed below were things that I found through my own adventures, travels, and incessant need to find quality in this throw-away, consumable world. I find value in the handmade and in natural materials made with care. I will pay more for something that will carry me through a lifetime, maybe even a few. Value for me includes longevity. For that reason, I urge everyone to always buy vintage, antique, and well-loved quality materials first and whenever possible. Filling a home with the things that were loved in other lifetimes brings that love into your abode. For all else, I share below some of my favourite things.

I have not been solicited to share these items. I use them and like them and so I contacted the companies to request a discount for my readers. That’s not true. I paid my daughter to do it for me because I just couldn’t be on email that much. In return, I get a small stipend or some other kindness (a few of these companies are small and so I only get their gratitude and sweet notes, but that’s okay, too).

I’ll be adding and trimming my list in real time. Let me know if there’s something you’re looking for that I’ve missed. Surely I’ve missed much. Please note that I might get a few cents thrown my way if you go through the links provided. For that reason, please do whenever you can. Thank you, kindly.

SaunaSpace - 10% off with code SLOWDOWNFARMSTEAD (Attention! Attention! SaunaSpace is currently offering a stackable 15% discount for the month of November. That means, you can add my 10% to their 15% for a total discount of 25% off their products!) We use their panels in our FIR sauna to combine the best of both worlds (and because we already had a FIR sauna we didn’t want to start over). I also use their lights for red light therapy which I think is far superior to LED panels.

Boncharge - 15% off with code SLOWDOWNFARMSTEAD. My favourite place for red light glasses (I like the really large ones that cover the skin all around my eyes). I also really like their red light clip-on book lights.

Saturée - 20% off first orders with code SLOWDOWNFARMSTEAD. Purveyors of clean, often animal based, skin products and quality supplements like beef liver, clean oysters, high bloom gelatin and many more.

Organifi - 20% off first orders with code SLOWDOWNFARMSTEAD. I will admit that everyone in our house gets a bag of their shilajit gummies in their Christmas stockings. And when my granddaughter tells me in her mournful way that “the shilajit is all gone, Pooka”, I immediately get another bag sent out to her. Who could resist?

Purity Coffee - 20% off first orders with code SLOWDOWNFARMSTEAD. Wonderful organic coffee sourced from the cleanest sources, tested for antioxidant levels and mold.

GiddyYo - My go-to for coffee while in Canada and my favourite salt. Oh, and their organic cocoa butter and cocoa paste is sublime. I would simply perish without their organic vanilla powder. A small company of integrity, doing it right. They’re meticulous with their sourcing. Leave them a note on check-out and tell them I sent you so they know where the love is coming from.

Son de Flor - I collect their clothes like I collect all of my heirlooms. Investment pieces worthy of passing down. The market is full of Chinese linen, but Son de Flor is committed to European linen. The difference in quality is evident.

Rosita - The only cod liver oil I will consume and I do so every winter. Their Wild Bee Bread is also a wonder.

Intuition Physician - All things EMF mitigating without the plastics and other weird devices that are more toxic than the problem you start out with. We like the organic grounding mats and the device to test grounding. Also pieces and parts to make your own grounding devices.

Obasan - We’ve owned a few organic mattresses over the years, but Obasan was the only one we’ve stuck with. There’s so much “green-washing” with organic mattresses. Companies often use poor quality/synthetic latex or GMO cotton wraps and even plastic or metal springs in their beds. Our Obasan mattress was a big investment, but they’re a company of integrity and our bed is bliss. We’ve since ordered another of their mattresses in the more ‘basic’, un-customized version for our Airstream. We just can’t find anything else that ticks all of our boxes for an item we spend nine hours of every day lying on. Their organic mattress toppers and pillows are also wonderful.

VivaRays - 10% off with code slowdownfarmstead. Very well made blue light mitigating and blocking glasses. We like their 3-in-1 blue light blocking glasses that clip on or off with little magnets. We can use the light yellow lens during the day when we’re doing computer work and add the darker, red filtered glasses after sunset.

Abundance + - 10% off with code SLOWDOWN10. This is truly the best homesteading platform on the internet. Beyond that, it’s an incredible source of all manner of information for those wanting to learn how to do all manner of things from preserving to growing a carrot. I wish I had this resource when I was getting started. Oh, it’s also such great wholesome programming on the deeper, meaningful things in life. We absolutely love that this is owned and operated by normal folks like us just trying to provide value and connection and not some big commercial corporation. p.s. This is also the home to our documentary, “Divergence”.

Cymbiotika - We’ve been using shilajit for about eight years now. This one is our favourite. Another “must” in Christmas stockings (according to my daughter overlords). Please note there’s both a US and Canadian Cymbiotika store. Make sure you’re on the right one before ordering (especially in this time of tariff-o-rama).

Lucky Clover Candles - 10% off with code Tara10 (plus free shipping over $100). I know, you think a beeswax candle is the same from place to place. Not so! How the candles are made have everything to do with how they burn and how long they last. We burn candles in the evenings for our light so I’ve had plenty of opportunity to test out all types of beeswax candles. These guys truly know how to make a candle. I also love that they use hemp for their wicks instead of the GMO cotton often found in candle wicks. I also love that they’re a small company committed to personal service and quality materials. The only candles I buy and I don’t get a dime for saying so.