COVER STORY
Women in business share their spark Recognizing and celebrating women entrepreneurs in Halifax By Emily Bednarz ALL PHOTOS CONTRIBUTED
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arch 8 is International Women’s Day. What better time to shine a spotlight on the incredible female entrepreneurs in Halifax? Tanisha Ashpall-Brown owns Blush Décor, a decorating service that can outfit any occasion. Suzana Toulany owns Geo’s Pizzeria, a Dartmouth restaurant that can satisfy your weekly pizza cravings. Connie McInnes owns R Studios, a group of fitness centres that fits every body at every level. These businesses represent different sectors, and yet the entrepreneurs behind them share similar motivations. They are driven by witnessing the joy and success of others — by creating positive experiences for the people they work with and serve. Read their stories below to learn how they discovered their passions and are working to make Halifax a stronger, bigger, and more interesting place to live.
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Blush Décor
Owner: Tanisha Ashpall-Brown blushdecor.ca Growing up in Jamaica, Tanisha Ashpall-Brown was the person to call for all things décor. If someone was celebrating a birthday, an anniversary, a wedding, they would hear: “go get Nisha, she can make things pretty,” says Ashpall-Brown. “I was always involved in somebody’s celebration back home.” Ashpall-Brown is now the owner of Blush Décor in Halifax, a decorating and delivery service to help you celebrate your milestones in style. Looking back, Ashpall-Brown recognizes that entrepreneurship runs in the family. “My mom was a cosmetologist,” she says. “I grew up around her doing that work, even before I knew that was entrepreneurship. And my dad was a mechanic. I grew up seeing MARCH 2022
them leave the house to go do their work and come back. Later on, I realized, hey, my parents are actually entrepreneurs.” Ashpall-Brown fell in love with décor at a young age, and working in a bridal store in Jamaica inspired her love of sharing in celebration. “It was the most amazing thing to walk somebody through picking the right dress,” she says. “We had a little bell in the studio, and once they picked the dress, we would ask, ‘Are you ready to ring the bell?’ When we rang the bell, everybody would know — even our neighbors — that somebody found their wedding dress. Those experiences really triggered my love for this.” Here in Halifax, Ashpall-Brown continues to be inspired by witnessing the joy of others. “What keeps me motivated is pretty easy,” she says. “I love to share in people's successes. I love to celebrate life with people. I love to celebrate their
