Meet Tiffany Norton | Owner, Founder, and Formulator at Juniperseed Mercantile

We had the good fortune of connecting with Tiffany Norton and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tiffany, can you tell us more about your background and the role it’s played in shaping who you are today?
People ask me why I make so many things, and I guess partly it’s because it reminds me of where I’m from, and partly because I couldn’t stop if I tried. I’m pretty sure I have DIY in my DNA! I am from a long line of makers, tinkerers, savers, fixers and cheapskates. I’m from cooks, teachers, gardeners, scientists, seamstresses, and engineers. I’m from creativity and hard work and girl power. In a very concrete way, my business represents my background and how it has shaped me.

What should our readers know about your business?
Juniperseed Mercantile is a hybrid micromanufacturer and retail store in Littleton. We make 96% of the products we sell right here in Littleton. Everything is made in small batches, so it’s fresh, made of wholesome and sustainably sourced ingredients, packaged as plastic-free as possible, and refillable. We offer workshops and special events to cultivate a maker culture, slowing down and reconnecting with older, simpler ways of doing things. We believe that rising tides lift all boats, and that building community efficacy rises the tide for everyone in our community. We envision a world where there is a small zero-waste maker hub like ours in every neighborhood, where we make as much of what we need as we can, and buy or barter the rest from someone else in our neighborhood who can. A challenge we face is communicating this vision to our community. In this day, it’s hard to market yourself locally. No one reads the newspaper, listens to the radio, watches TV… We have found that we need to be outside and connecting with our neighbors as often as possible, inviting them in, utilizing their businesses as customers. What I wish I knew sooner was that my internet success gave me a false “field of dreams” sense, as in “if you build it, they will come.” I know now that to build the kind of community I envision, I need to do a lot more connection-building within my community.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
There’s so much to see and do in and around Littleton! One for-sure excursion would have to be Lucille’s for breakfast and then a bike ride along the Mary Carter greenway trail, with stops at the Carson Nature Center, Hudson Gardens, and Breckenridge Brewery. For evening entertainment, dinner at Palenque, followed by a show at the Littleton Town Hall Arts Center, or a concert in the park. During the Halloween season, we definitely recommend the Haunts of Littleton Tour, which is put on by the Scouts Troop every year, and is an absolute delight, and a visit to Reinke Bros. for all of your costume needs.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My wife, Stacey, has been incredibly supportive and encouraging to me. After a 24 year-long career in education, she has helped me to see that my “side hustle” could really sustain me as a “main hustle.” She believes in me and gives me room to take risks that I would not have taken in previous years. She encourages me to see that I’m a creative and successful entrepreneur, and more than just a “tinkerer.”

Website: juniperseedmercantile.com

Instagram: @juniperseedmercantile

Facebook: facebook.com/juniperseedmercantile