A wearable solution for period pain

Meanwhile, Habitat for Humanity’s ReStore launches online version

Anyone who has had menstrual cramps knows the benefits of a good hot water bottle. Now, a Hamilton-made product puts that concept into a pair of underwear. Undu Wearables (unduwearables.com) uses a patented, streamlined heat pack that fits into a pair of underwear and can be worn discreetly throughout the day.

The company’s founders say the reusable product is also largely biodegradable: the bamboo-cotton blend underwear is “technically biodegradable … dependent on municipal compost programs,” says co-founder Robin Linton, while the infill of the heat pack can go into any compost system, be used to seal wooden cutting boards, polish leather shoes, or be made into a hand salve or candle.

The heat packs are made in Haliburton, where co-founders Katherine Porter and Charlie Katrycz — who developed the heat pack technology — live. The underwear is made in Hamilton at Niko Apparel on Hempstead Drive. “They have been extremely accommodating, have had amazing COVID safety practices, have high standards for accessibility and provide beautifully made goods,” says Linton.

Undu began taking preorders in December and officially launched in May.

ReStore your passion for upcycled goods

Shoppers can now peruse Habitat for Humanity’s ReStore (85 Nash Rd. N.) — a place to buy new and used building materials, appliances, furniture and household goods — from the comfort of their homes. The store, which supports Habitat’s mission to build homes for people in need, launched its online version in January (the-hamiltonrestore.myshopify.com). The store’s inventory depends on donations, but one day in June its wares included a kitchen sink, a hand-held bidet still in the package and several furnace filters at prices well below retail value.

Melissa Schweyer, Habitat’s director of marketing and development, says a grant from the federal government’s Investment Readiness Program is paying for the store’s subscription to Shopify for six months. She says “sales are strong given the website is only a few months old, (but) it does not compare to in-store sales.” Orders placed online can be picked up curbside.

Spoiler: It starts and ends with lasagna

Local businessperson Peter Mercanti, known for building Carmen’s Banquet Centre and the adjacent C Hotel, has captured his life story — and “ingredients for business success, leadership, and happiness” — in a new book. The self-published “It All Started With Lasagna” shares the story of the Italian immigrant’s “rise to success … to his most recent business venture, Mama Yolanda’s Gourmet Lasagnas, and the lessons learned in between,” states the release.

The book also “recounts many humorous stories from … numerous celebrity events.” The release name-drops Al Pacino, Sylvester Stallone, Sophia Loren and Wayne Gretzky as those who have come through Carmen’s over the years.

Proceeds from “It All Started With Lasagna” will be donated to Charity of Hope, a registered charity founded by Peter’s brother Sam Mercanti in 1999. The book is available through FriesenPress.com, Amazon, Indigo and Booktopia.

Dreaming dreamy dreams of a spite store

Anyone eagerly awaiting the new Latte Larry’s on James Street North will be waiting indefinitely. The signage hanging in the window of 150 James St. N. is just for jokes, an homage to the “spite store” opened by Larry David in the TV show “Curb Your Enthusiasm.”

Local residents and business owners say Oliver Knutton hung the sign in the window last year before shuttering his store O’s Clothes.

“Oliver was the best practical joker in the neighbourhood,” says Smalls Coffee co-owner Ian Walker, whose shop is just around the corner on Cannon Street East. “It’s never been the same since he left.”