Village People: The Little NB Box
For our next visit, we popped in to The NB Box. Or, more specifically, The Little NB Box.
It all started when Ingrid Munroe was searching for a locally-made baby shower gift for her sister, but couldn’t find one. So, what did she do? She decided to start her own business offering high-quality, locally made gifts for every occasion you can think of.
We had a great conversation with her about how she went from shipping gifts out of her basement to running a warehouse and two brick-and-mortar stores — now with that sister as her business partner!
Q: What’s your favourite colour?
A: Blue
Q: Where did you get the idea for your business?
A: The idea for the business came when I was trying to find a locally made gift for my sister’s baby shower, and it turned out to be a lot more difficult than I expected. I was meeting women in parking lots and going to their homes just to get my hands on their amazing, handmade products. That’s when I realized — there had to be an easier way to connect local makers with people who want their products.
Q: How did you come up with the name of your business?
A: Well, initially (for the first three years), the business was e‑commerce only, and we shipped all of our orders from my basement. So, ‘The NB Box’ just fits the whole idea — boxes of New Brunswick products shipped right to you!
Q: Why did you want to set up shop at AREA 506?
A: I absolutely love uptown, and I knew it would be such a fun place to have a little shop! And honestly, part of it was FOMO — I didn’t want to miss out on being part of something so cool and innovative happening in our little city.
Q: When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
A: I’m probably one of those rare kids who didn’t want to be anything. No job sounded good to me — and that probably contributed to how I ended up working for myself.
Q: Knowing what you know now, is there anything you would have done differently when you were first starting out?
A: I’ve been so lucky not to have made any catastrophic mistakes in this business so far. Any mistakes we’ve made have been great learning experiences, so I don’t think I would change our journey at all.
Q: What do you consider your biggest success?
A: Over the years, we’ve bought and renovated a big commercial space, started offering health insurance to our employees, and worked on some incredible projects with the Canadian Hockey League, TD Bank, and Deloitte. We’ve hit a lot of milestones along the way, but the biggest moments for us are when a supplier shares how we’ve made a difference for them and helped their business grow — or when we do get a referral from a past client. Those moments really validate what we do. It feels amazing to know we’re making a real impact, and it’s something that truly matters. What we do has value, and it’s in those moments that we really see it.
Q: What’s next?
A: We’ve experienced so much growth in the last few years, and we’re looking forward to perfecting our business until we find the next right opportunity. Growth can be so difficult to manage, so we’re eager to settle into our new normal.
If you’re an entrepreneur with a business that you think would be a great fit in the Waterfront Container Village, and you’re interested in hearing more about available opportunities, drop us a line — we’d love to hear from you!