Shane Kejick was supposed to have his Indigenous fashion displayed in GTA Christmas markets and a pop-up shop, until a robbery last month dashed those plans. Kejick’s Toyota SUV, which was parked on his mother’s street in suburban Montreal, was stolen late in the evening of November 25, along with merchandise ready for sale and other gear related to production for his clothing line Neechie by Nature. “I realized my vehicle was no longer there, so that was kind of nerve-racking, you could say. I decided to call the authorities, thought maybe it had been towed, but it didn’t make sense because that spot is always good and I’ve never been towed there before,” he tells CityNews. “Along with my vehicle, I also lost many of my design equipment; My sewing machine, my 3D printer, some of my media equipment, as well as my gimbal, and some of my inventory.”For the past nine years, the fashion designer and entrepreneur has been building his brand and business. It’s only since the 1950’s that Indigenous people have been allowed to own businesses. Running the business on a small budget, this type of loss is devastating.Unable to return from Montreal, Kejick has missed several sales opportunities at Christmas markets around Toronto.Jared Bigcanoe collaborated with Neechie by Nature to bring items to shoppers. Kejick was supposed to work with the Big Canoe Indigenous Market pop-up in Erin Mills Town Centre in Mississauga, but his presence and some merchandise were absent, leaving some shoppers still looking for that perfect gift.“It’s definitely creating supply chain issues,” said Bigcanoe. “I’d love to have all the sizes for everyone that they need when they come shopping.” For any small business, the Christmas shopping season is a crucial time and losing thousands of dollars of inventory and missing key personnel puts extra strain on operations.“It’s detrimental to a growing business, and can mean life or death to a company, so it’s important to support and do what we can for each other so we all make it through,” said Bigcanoe.A GoFundMe campaign has been started to help Kejick replace the stolen items.