The Brown Bear Story

Our family business all started with Francine and Kurt Scheuermann in a small town east of Toronto, Ontario. Kurt and Francine wanted to escape the busy city life and picked Westport Ontario as a rural place to settle. They decided to start a retail store that carried Canadian made goods. This retail store was called The Brown Bear and was open from 1972 until 1998. The store became an icon for the community and many shoppers would travel long distances to visit quaint little Westport and shop at The Brown Bear. Kurt experienced some health issues over the years so they recognized they needed to slow down and retire so his health could improve. Francine loved the customer interaction and missed the ability to make people happy with the products she sold. Kurt and Francine passed their work ethic and entrepreneurship down to their 4 children. In 2010 Francine, and one of her daughters Natalie, decided to team up and begin selling online. They started with moccasins as their main product as this was one of the most popular items at The Brown Bear store. Francine was also the most familiar with the quality and uniqueness of this product and still had a connection with the manufacturers. This is how Moccasins Canada began. In order to reach our US client base, they also started Leather-Moccasins. They later added a few more product lines and online stores including NEOS Overshoes. Because The Brown Bear started small, they have tried to cherish and keep their customer relations as personal as possible. Francine and Natalie both try to personally be involved with orders and customer inquiries. They realize how popular shopping online has become, but realize it is not always a personal or enjoyable experience for everyone, so they try their best to keep their customers happy and make themselves available to chat or assist where needed. They aim to make a pleasant shopping experience that is more personal and that is why they LOVE hearing how people like their products and enjoy when customers share pictures and testimonials. In 2012 another one of Francine’s daughters, Vanessa, joined the team and was able to help launch a few more lines and online stores within The Brown Bear. Every time they add a store or product line, they aim to fulfill a need. They believe in the products they sell. Their goal is to provide buyers with a product that will suit their specific needs and help their customers enjoy life a little more. They truly hope that you will enjoy their products and enjoy your shopping experience with them. They love to hear from their customers, or browsers even if it is constructive criticism, so please feel free to drop them a line via email. To view all of our online stores visit: www.thebrownbear.ca