Jonathan Litchfield is a young entrepreneur at the head of his namesake shopLitchfield. Carefully curated, Litchfield is a purveyor of fine goods in Gastown, Vancouver. Jonathan was kind enough to chat with us about his thoughts on business, keys to success, and his current projects.

Who are you?

I’m Jonathon Litchfield

What do you do?

I collect things that are as useful as they are beautiful. Things that help me live better.

Where did you grow up?

I spent my early childhood in Calgary, Alberta. Then, when I was 11 my family moved to Osaka, Japan for several years. After that, we moved to Vancouver, where I finished high school.

When did you take your first big risk in life?

I’m not a crazy risk taker but I certainly don’t play it safe either. I go for what I think will be great, and that’s usually not “safe”. I remember doing that even as a kid.

Once, when I was 16, I figured that the award-winning company I was working for should have an entire department dedicated to enhancing the guest experience. I made an appointment with the founder/owner and presented my vision of how people should experience her business.

In retrospect, that was pretty gutsy. As it turns out, one of the biggest risks I’ve ever taken was leaving that company 17 years later.

Why have you found success so far?

Since I was a child I was encouraged to do things I believe in and execute at a level of excellence that satisfies me. I’ve always been pretty clear about how I want my life to feel, so I hold myself to exacting standards.

I haven’t been successful in everything I’ve attempted, but when I have, I think it’s largely because I know what I want to achieve. It hasn’t been a mental exercise for me, but something that has come from my gut.

Who is someone you’d love to work with, but can’t?

At some point it would be fun to collaborate with an amazing local brand like Wings + Horns or Reigning Champ, or do something with Oji Masanori (to name one of several Japanese designers I admire).

Monocle Magazine is a brand I love and it would be incredible to work with them at some point. The list is endless, almost dizzying. I’m not quite ready to tackle it and do it justice.

What are you working on now?

About 6 months ago I opened a store called Litchfield to offer the kinds of things that contribute to a balanced, healthy, and rich life: things that are well crafted, intelligently designed, timeless.

As a culture we are much more wasteful than we can afford to be. Our fashion, our food, our homes – even our relationships reflect this “disposable” approach and it doesn’t resonate with me.

I don’t think it’s how we’re hardwired as humans, so I try to eliminate as much as possible and invest in things and people that I can enjoy and cherish for years. Litchfield is not about “stuff”, it’s about contributing things that make life better.

Where do you spend most of your free time?

Right now I spend most of my time in Gastown (a district in Vancouver), where the shop is located. When I’m not there I am doing something to stay active to balance it out. Luckily I live in a great city for that.

When you look back at your life, describe your biggest success.

It’s funny. I’ve been asked this question several times throughout my life and each time I think: “This. Here. Now. Surely what I’m doing now must be my biggest success.”

I’m not sure if I feel that way because each experience builds on the last, or because I’m consumed by what I’m doing at the moment. Perhaps it’s because I often feel like I’m working on my biggest challenge – and challenges become more complex as we grow in ability.

Why are you doing this interview?

I got an unexpected note in my inbox from Daniel Eckler: MILJO founder, and after a bit of back and forth we found that we shared some common values. I really love what MILJO is doing. Fast-forward a bit and here we are!

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