Skip to main content
the challenge

From portraits by pet photographers to shots of handmade wedding dresses and skateboards, these galleries were the most popular in 2014

A portrait by Chewed Slippers.

Portraits by pets-only studio in Edmonton

Chewed Slippers was started by two photographers who closed their individual businesses and went after a niche. See the gallery here.

Christina Platt’s company, Bamboletta Dolls Ltd., makes handmade dolls that retail for between $130 and $250. (Chad Hipolito For The Globe and Mail)

Handmade dolls fly off the shelves in B.C.

More than three-quarters of Bamboletta’s handmade dolls disappear within 20 minutes after appearing on their website. See the gallery here.

Russell Oliver in his Superman-like persona in a promotion shot from 1998.

Oh yeahhh! Russell Oliver through the decades

Toronto’s Cash Man wants to expand his gold- and jewellery-buying business through Ontario and beyond. See the gallery here.

Jewellery made by Break Up Gems, this one for men.

Rings made just for divorcees

Break Up Gems, based in Montreal, is trying to create a new market for celebratory jewellery. See the gallery here.

Custom skateboards hang on display at the Roarockit warehouse in Toronto. (Matthew Sherwood For The Globe and Mail)

See skateboards being built at Roarockit

Founder of Roarockit came up with a new way to shape wood veneer, making it it ripple like the ocean. See the gallery here.

Each of the wedding gowns made by Ines Di Santo Inc. is a work of art, says Veronica Di Santo, director of marketing for the company, which is based in Woodbridge, Ont. (Matthew Sherwood For The Globe and Mail)

Handmade wedding gowns at the Ines Di Santo workshop in Ontario

Mother-daughter team of Ines and Veronica Di Santo sew high-end wedding gowns. See the gallery here.

Andrew Shepherd, a chef, started Vancouver Island Salt Co., one of Canada’s first commercial harvesters of artisanal sea salt. (Chad Hipolito For The Globe and Mail)

Vancouver Island Salt takes home top prize

The maker of flavour-infused salts sourced from the ocean comes out on top in the Small Business Challenge contest. See the gallery here.