About Suzy & Sue

Beginnings

It began in April of 2004 when Suzy Walters came to Sue Noble in pursuit of a business partner. Since moving from Germany to Canada in 2000, Suzy had wanted to bring the idea of tea towels adorned with children’s artwork to Canada, for schools to use for fundraising. She discovered that another Vancouverite, Sue Noble, had been working on the same idea, who had spotted this creative use of tea towels in her native England. The two teamed up and founded their current business, NobleWalters.

Expansion into Artistic Tea Towels

In their first year the two focused on offering their tea towels to local schools, until Lyn Noble, Sue’s mother-in-law and a renowned botanical watercolorist, offered the remainder of her artistic tea towels to the business as a new sales avenue. NobleWalters proceeded to take over Lynn's stock, expanding their business from childrens’ artwork for schools, to creative tea towels featuring local artists sold at the retail level.

Developing a Made in Vancouver, BC Product

One of Suzy and Sue's first challenge in expanding their business was to find appropriate fabric that was lint free, absorbent and completely white in order to properly showcase the artwork. The two had fabric from their original inspirations analyzed to better understand the quality they were seeking; they were thrilled to find a local textile engineer who was able to source a manufacturer to produce the fabric to their specifications. Then, Suzy and Sue found a local company to manufacture the product, achieving their goal of a product that, except for the fabric, is completely produced, printed and packaged in British Columbia.

A Loyal Following

After more than five years in business, Suzy and Sue now have seven featured Canadian artists creating designs ranging from floral prints and fish to images of British Columbia. They are still dedicated to their original inspiration, tea towels created by students for schools. They have maintained a loyal following, which began with Irwin Park in 2004, and continue to focus on both the school and retail designs.

Both Sue Noble and Suzy Walters divide their time between raising a family and business. They would like to extend their thanks for visiting the website and invite you to view the many different styles of tea towels they offer!

Links

Below are some sites that we like, and that we think you might find of interest.

EmbassyLink

www.embassylink.ca

If you are traveling abroad and need a visa, Caroline and her staff will help you with your visa needs. They are wonderful, we have used their services and they have saved us hours of waiting in line at embassies!

ExpatExpert

www.expatexpert.com

Are you relocating to another country? You're not alone – many seek advice from this Expat Expert. Robin will guide you through this transition. Check out her witty books on serious relocation matters and read her blog. This website has a wealth of information. Robin is a Creative Tea Towel fan and never leaves Canada without them!