Meet Your North End Neighbour: Wendy Friedman Biscuit General Store & The Independent Mercantile Co.
Located at the southern end of Gottingen Street, sister-shops Biscuit General Store and The Independent Mercantile Co. offer various items such as clothing, home décor, and pop-culture inspired gifts that spark joy and allow shoppers to discover their own personal style.
Bringing Joy into People's Wardrobes at Biscuit General Store
Located at 2050 Gottingen Street, inside of The Zion building, Biscuit General Store showcases a vibrant and colourful collection of clothing, accessories, and gift-wares.
"Biscuit General Store, which is predominantly clothing, we also sell some fun little pop culture inspired gifty things there, along with things that are simple and basic and very wearable. I really do look for ways to bring joy into people's wardrobes, and you'll always find touches of that." says Biscuit General Store and The Independent Mercantile Co. founder Wendy Friedman. "At Biscuit (General Store), I always say we're not afraid of colour. We really celebrate that."
Bringing Southern Hospitality to the North End and the Inspiration behind The Independent Mercantile Co.
Located across the street at 2091 Gottingen Street, sister-shop The Independent Mercantile Co. provides a diverse selection of exquisite homewares sourced from various locations worldwide. From handcrafted woven rugs to bar tools and mixology ingredients, this small business presents a unique collection of items for your home.
"When I was buying for Biscuit (General Store), I would always come across things that I loved and was inspired by, and be like, why can't I find this in Halifax?" says founder Wendy Friedman. "I think (The Independent) Mercantile is really about the home and how we welcome others into our homes, and making our homes a place that inspires us. You know, we really want people to be able to make a space their own and discover their own personal style."
Wendy was born in South Carolina, but has been living in Nova Scotia for 30 years. Her Southern background has been a key inspiration in founding The Independent Mercantile Co., as well.
"Bringing people into your home, making them welcome, and cooking, and just southern hospitality is a huge part of my roots, and even a lot of, I would say, some of my aesthetic choices. The notion of hospitality, which is a big part of the inspiration behind (The Independent ) Mercantile, is the idea of inviting people into your home."
Moving to the North End of Halifax
Biscuit General Store was originally located on Argyle Street in downtown Halifax, before moving to the North End in 2021.
"One of the reasons I was inspired to move Biscuit to the North End to join my other shop (The Independent) Mercantile was because of all the small business owners. It's really such a community of hands-on small businesses that are owned by real people, and I can name the business owner, I can walk in there on any given day and usually see the person who owns the business, and have a conversation with them. I don't ever have to go far to find a place to go out for dinner with friends, to get the best baked goods in the city, to get local produce. I mean, I love this neighbourhood. Absolutely wouldn't live anywhere else. I love living in the North End."
Watch the full interview with The Independent Mercantile Co. & Biscuit General Store founder Wendy Friedman on our YouTube page below:
Driving to the North End of Halifax? Check out our interactive parking map here.
