Sudbury's Pure Country, CTV Northern Ontario's sister radio station, has declared March 21 Positive Inception Day in support of local businesses affected by recent targeted barbershop fires.
Organized by morning show co-hosts Josh Corbett and Bryan Cooper, people are being asked to take a photo of themselves wearing clothing from local brand Positive Inception and post it on social media using the hashtag #positiveinception.
Corbett and Cooper came up with the idea after storeowner Ryan Benoit shared his story about the struggles of having to close his shop located on Lasalle Boulevard.
"Even though our unit is physically fine, it has suffered significant smoke damage. Because of this, our clothing is not sellable. We are currently dealing with our insurance company and trying to figure out the next course of action. We are so sorry for the inconvenience. Thank you so much for your cooperation, we hope you understand," The Positive Inception website said.
Sudbury police and the Ontario Fire Marshal are still investigating what is being called a suspicious fire on Feb. 22 that destroyed The Barber Shop in the New Sudbury strip mall and caused smoke and water damage to neighbouring businesses.
Just three weeks later, there was another suspicious fire at The Barber Shop's Regent Street location, which also affected neighbouring businesses in the South End strip mall.
"Ryan is a good friend of Pure Country, so there has to be something we can do for him," Cooper said in an email.
When Ryan heard about the initiative, he posted his appreciation online.
"When I saw this, it brought tears to my eyes," Positive Inception said on Instagram Sunday.
"This community is so special. Thank you so much for your continuous love and support."
Hundreds of people have answered the call, including local school Ecole secondaire catholique Champlain, which invited its students to wear the brand as part of their uniform for the day.
