Maven

Maven began as a necklace, not a shop. Jen Ellis designs the Jen Ellis Designs line, which was in more than 50 shops across the country before she opened Maven in Fort Langley as its permanent home. The shop outgrew unit 105 on Mavis Avenue, moved next door to 106, and in 2024 a second store opened in Willoughby Town Centre.

Canadian-made, by rule

Nearly everything on the shelves is Canadian-made; that is the shop’s stated rule, and a November Instagram tour of the shelves put towns on the labels: Fort Langley, Maple Ridge and Cobble Hill on this side, Montreal, Ottawa, Halifax and Steinbach on the other. Brands on the website when we looked included Field Kit and Homecoming candles ($35 to $36), Rustic Shea Co room sprays ($24), Provisions jams and smoked honey ($11 to $16), Justea loose-leaf tea, Villager puzzles and Lovers Tempo birthstone necklaces ($48).

The Fort Langley merch

The FORT and LIVIN acid-wash caps ($26), Fort Supply Co. corduroy hats ($28), a grey Fort pullover hoodie ($60) and the Fort Local tote are the souvenirs people actually wear around the village.

Small gifts

Bukowski bag charms run $18 to $20, Linden Paper Co. wristlets $14, Bisou cocktail gummies $8, and “3/4 oz Tonic” cocktail syrups $20 to $28, which is roughly the price band for stocking stuffers and hostess gifts. Christmas stock started arriving in the first week of November.

Without visiting

The whole catalogue is online with shipping, and the Instagram account posts monthly staff picks if you want a shortlist. There is also a shop cat, Harriet, who gets her own posts.

For other independents in the Town Centre, see Shop Local in Willoughby and our Willoughby guide; the Fort Langley store is covered in the Fort Langley village guide, and our gift and toy shops in Langley page lists the rest.