Fire-breathing Dragons create some Aurora Heat
Mother and daughter team put new kind of hand and foot warmers on the market
Kassina Ryder
Northern News Services
Monday, March 21, 2016
THEBACHA/FORT SMITH
Brenda Dragon knows a thing or two about how to keep warm.
Brenda Dragon displays Aurora Heat, her hand-made hand and foot warmers, after a tradeshow in Yellowknife earlier in the month. - John McFadden/NNSL photo |
The Fort Smith woman says growing up as the daughter of trappers taught her the value of fur clothing.
"I've been wearing fur my entire life," she said. "My parents were trappers, I've always worn fur for warmth."
Her parents, David and Jane Dragon, raised six children while working their trapline outside of Fort Smith.
When Dragon became the mother of a son who loved to be outdoors, that knowledge helped her to design products to keep him cozy in the coldest weather. That's how her company, Aurora Heat, was born.
"My son, Joel, is a snowboarder and I kept making things out of fur to keep him warm and I came up with the hand warmer from that after making him a variety of different things," she said. "Joel would spend hours and hours outside even when it was 40 below."
Dragon began creating simple hand and foot warmers made out of sheared beaver, which is known for its warmth.
"It's a very luxurious, durable fur," she said. "It's incredibly warm and it's also lightweight."
The beaver's thick under hair, also called beaver "wool" is an excellent barrier against the cold and the foot warmers are designed to fit inside footwear such as boots and ice skates.
"The foot warmers are slightly thinner, so they fit into your sock and your boot," Dragon said. "They're contoured to fit the shape of the top of your foot."
She said the warmers will help participants in fishing derbies and other events stay outside for long periods.
"I think when we're having our community carnivals and we're out on the ice, they'll be fantastic," she said.
"They're great for outdoor activities, pond hockey and particularly skating and skiing."
Customer Dana Harris said she has already put the warming power of Dragon's products to the test.
"I love them," the Yellowknife resident said. "They definitely keep my fingers warm and I'm prone to having cold fingers. They definitely stay a lot warmer."
Harris said she planned on trying out the foot warmers during a hockey tournament the weekend of March 18.
"I'll see how they work out, my feet always get really cold and they definitely helped my hands," she said.
In addition to their effectiveness, Dragon said her products are also environmentally friendly.
"Beavers are very abundant," she said. "Right now, we only have disposable hand warmers and fur is a natural, reusable product."
She said she predominantly uses furs obtained through the Genuine Mackenzie Valley Fur Program.
Brenda's mother, Jane, is also helping to make the warmers, which are now available at Yellowknife's visitors' centres and the Aurora Village Trading Post.
The packaging includes an opening where people can feel the fur before purchasing, Dragon said.
She is also selling products via her website and Facebook and includes complementary shipping on all sales.
"I want to have strong online sales," she said. "One of the features is that it's free shipping, which is not that common."
She said she hopes her product will be sold both to tourists and locals alike, along with people outside the territory.
Dragon took a tourism management course through Capilano University, which she said helped her to develop her business plan.
"Running your own business takes a lot of effort and risk and a very open mind," she said.
Along with the warmers, Dragon said she plans to expand Aurora Heat's products to include custom orders for shoppers wanting to increase the warmth of existing clothing. For example, Dragon said she recently added fur to the collar and cuffs of a Canada Goose parka.
Aurora Heat's website was launched on March 14 and Dragon said she's ready to begin processing orders.
"Online sales are available," she said. "It's ready to go."
She said she believes Aurora Heat's merchandise will appeal to people all over the world.
"I really think it's a Canadian product," she said. "This is hand-made in the NWT."
