This Week, Beaver Bay Sports requested to become one of Trail Blazer’s newest dealers. I delivered Trail Blazer’s Reverse D-Handle Snow Shovels to Lunenburg Hardware. I visited Blomidon Nurseries, in Wolfville, to touch up their product display. I visited the buyer with Tim-Br Marts in Atlantic Canada and we continue to ship our snow shovels.

Jessica Wartman with Beaver Bay Sports, a snowmobile dealer on the North Shore of Lake Superior in Minnesota, wanted to purchase some of Trail Blazer’s survival saws and requested to become a dealer or buy direct from us. I responded … I’d love to sell you some of Trail Blazer products. Beaver Bay Sports is a small family owned and operated business and Minnesota’s leading dealer of recreational sports equipment … Michael and Cindy Wartman, along with their daughter Amanda Wartman in sales, service, parts, rentals, you name she does it and their son Jesse Wartman working in the service department.

After 17 years we are still receiving request from dealers for more information about Trail Blazer’s collapsible saws, like our founding product the Take-Down™ Buck Saw. This started with showing one person to offering one store and now negotiating with one distributor at a time, while remembering it all starts with one person … Thanks Jessica.

I delivered Trail Blazer’s Reverse D-Handle Snow Shovels to Lunenburg Hardware where I had the opportunity to meet with Bill Towndrow. Bill is working diligently to extend their reach through social media and it seems to be gaining traction. They’ll be looking to “tell Trail Blazer’s story”. Perhaps their next posting they’ll speak to the specific design of the Reverse D-handles on our snow shovels. Basically how we developed the concept and brought it to production. Bill & Margaret Towndrow have been keeping the historic town of Lunenburg and the surrounding area, supplied with everyday hardware and paint supplies since 1989.

While I’m concerned & fighting some current realities. With a high Canadian dollar, looming US protectionism, and a very fierce competition coming from China, the challenges aren’t over, for Trail Blazer’s Nova Scotia made products. But, it’s reassuring when a store, like Lunenburg Hardware, supports local manufacturing … Thanks Bill.

I visited Blomidon Nurseries in Wolfville, to touch up Trail Blazer’s product display, while they displayed Christmas decorations everywhere and the Christmas music played inside and out. As I went back & forth to my jeep, I experienced a gentle snow fall in the valley that day … snapping me into the Christmas spirit. Blomidon Nurseries has served the horticulture industry in Nova Scotia for over 50 years … by offering a blend of quality service and Trail Blazer. Their nursery carries plant material while every year their greenhouses produce a bountiful crop of beautiful annuals to complement a wide selection of flowering bulbs and Trail Blazer’s gardening tools.

There are many garden centers everywhere that have been putting great efforts into their Christmas displays and assortments. You would be doing yourself a great injustice, not taking the time to go visit at least one of these beautiful garden centers today!!! After my short time there, this week, I truly felt the Christmas spirit … Thanks Blomidon Nurseries.

I visited Rod Purchase the buyer for regional programs withTim-Br Marts in Dartmouth. We have been supplying Tim-Br Marts like Frasers in Berwick and there warehouse in British Columbia for years. Rod recommended I contact Chalifour in London Ontario to supply Tim-Br Marts and Ace Dealers nationwide. Tim-Br Mart Group represents over 750 independently owned retailers being distributed to by Chalifour Canada to help them operate their business more efficiently and profitably. As a consumer, you can have confidence that you are leveraging their enormous buying power when you shop at your local Tim-Br Mart or Ace store.

I would like to take this opportunity to Thank Rod Purchase for always supporting Trail Blazer Nova Scotia made products over the years. Rod has given me much appreciated advice that has always been helpful and it will be thanks to him when Trail Blazer products can be available at all your local Tim-Br Mart or Ace Hardware retailers …. Thanks Rod.

Back at the office, The Trail Blazer team continues to successfully ship out our Reverse D-Handle Snow Shovels at an alarming rate, via CN Rail cars traveling west to Alberta, 53 foot Midland tractor trailers traveling to Ontario and the popular yellow Home Hardware truck distributing to the independent retailers across Canada. This week I’m proud to see our Reverse D-Handle Snow/Grain Shovel in Home Hardware’s national flyer. Trail Blazer is now officially manufacturing, distributing and now promoting snow shovels nation wide. As I look at the flyer, I’m motivated to complete the next three designs we’re presently working on … in Nova Scotia.

Last year I visited my local Home Hardware stores across Nova Scotia & New Brunswick to introduce our new Nova Scotia made snow shovels. Thanks to their tremendous support & purchases, we are now offering Trail Blazer’s Reverse D-Handle Snow Shovels across Canada in their national flyer till December 29 … Thank you Home Hardware.

17 years ago, I was building Trail Blazer’s Take-Down™ Buck Saw in my apartment, for my dad, on Robie Street in Halifax Nova Scotia. Today, Trail Blazer’s Nova Scotia made products have been sold by up to 20,000 retailers in over 40 countries, including Ace, Home, Lunenburg, Tim-Br Mart & True Value retailers. Now Trail Blazer has added snow-removal products! We noticed that when Hardware stores take down their pruning equipment, from their displays, snow shovels went up, and we wanted a part of that action. The new product frontier is very promising, and I’m pleased to add a product line that’ll help even out our sales throughout the year.

Trail Blazer’s Reverse D-Handle will provide a natural and comfortable grip and extra leverage. This is achieved by leaving the wrist and elbow aligned, reducing fatigue and allowing the forearm to do the lifting. Lightweight yet strong fiberglass handle is removable for storage and transport … Just like the original Take-Down™ Buck Saw.

All the Best, Shawn Levangie