Hello! I’m Kara the owner and founder of The Middle. I live in Abbotsford, BC with my incredibly supportive husband Mike, and our young daughter Nova. We have a blended family, so I’m also step-mom to my husband’s four amazing children.

When I got pregnant with my daughter in 2017, I had an opportunity to step back from a 12 year career that I was never truly passionate about and ask myself, “What do I really want to do?”. This is what led me to begin Flora Hemp, my first business focused on natural bath/ body products and hand-dyed textiles. It was while attending and selling my products at markets that I saw the potential to do something really special and different.

The Middle evolved from the desire to build an online marketplace that would provide a middle ground for local businesses to sell their goods, and a secure platform for consumers to shop from small businesses while supporting their local economy, all with one convienent shipping rate.

By carefully selecting and showcasing quality local brands, we are able to support these businesses without having to compete with them for online sales and our customers not only feel like they’re buying truly unique and special items, but they also get to experience a sense of connection to what they’re buying and who they’re buying from.

Want to shake virtual hands with our small businesses? Check out our "Meet The Maker" section where we will be featuring one of our partnering businesses each month.