The Full Story
What is an Ibitibi
(ih-bee-tih-bee)?
This is a question we get a lot — and we get it, it’s… different. The name has its origins in our Design Director’s childhood, when a little bit of nonsense led to a big idea:
A long time ago (please don’t ask us how long) our Design Director Kathlene was a toddler spending the summer at her family’s cottage in Nova Scotia. One day she Iocked eyes with her dad, pointed out the window and shouted “IBITIBI”! Her dad looked at what she was pointing toward (nothing), shrugged his shoulders and promptly gave her some apple slices.
The next day, she was playing at the beach with her mom. Suddenly, she stopped shoving sand in her mouth long enough to look at her mother, point out to the ocean and scream “IBITIBI!!” (although it sounded more like "ubutubeh" as her mouth had half the beach in it).
On it went for weeks in the typical, repetitive way you might expect from someone who still drools a lot. Her mom finally joked: "if IBITIBI is as exciting as Kathlene thinks it is, maybe we should just pack up and move there."
“IBITIBI!” Kathlene agreed.
Kathlene’s dad is an artist who is also known to be a bit of a practical joker. He decided that IBITIBI was no longer going to be just a two-year-old’s fantasy destination. He convinced everyone around that there had been a successful petition to rename the area IBITIBI. He then promptly went out and replaced the government road signs in the area with his own that said “IBITIBI in 2km” and “IBITIBI Next Exit:" IBITIBI had become a real place.
Looking back now, it could be that Kathlene was pointing at whatever caught her eye (a rock, her father's mustache) and saying, “give it to me!” (ihbeetihbee).
No matter what way you look at it (and you can look at it backwards and forwards - it's a palindrome!), our ultimate goal is to give you your IBITIBI:
a fantastic space that is unique to you, a collaborative and successful project and an experience that leaves you with fond memories.
we hope you agree.
