Byron and Dexter Peart had already made their mark in the fashion world with WANT Les Essentiels when they decided to walk away from the industry. In 2019, they launched Goodee, an online marketplace for home goods built on their belief in good people, good design, and good impact. Since then, the Montreal-based twins have expanded their platform to include products from more than 40 countries, opened a flagship retail store, and maintained a return rate well below industry average.
Here’s how Byron and Dexter built a business that’s as resilient as it is responsible, and why they believe success starts with staying true to what you value most.
Prioritizing people and purpose from the start
Before they sourced a single product, the Pearts wrote down what would become Goodee’s North Star: “Good people, good design, good impact.” As Byron explains, “Our driving force behind everything we do always comes back down to people and design.”
Every maker or brand partner in their network must align with these standards and demonstrate thoughtful production and ethical labor practices. Goodee tags each product with icons representing one of 11 social or environmental causes, helping customers shop with clarity and confidence. "People actually do want to make a better choice,” Dexter says, “but they just don’t necessarily know how to."
That clarity translates into consumer confidence—and results. Goodee’s return rate is just 5%, compared to an industry average of 17%, according to a 2024 report by the National Retail Federation (NRF) and Happy Returns.
Honing and trusting your curatorial eye
Goodee offers a tightly edited assortment of goods rather than a massive catalog. The team discovers makers themselves, assesses their processes, shoots original product photography, and writes descriptions from scratch for each item on the site. It’s labor-intensive, but it builds deep trust with customers.
Byron likens curation to cooking: some people naturally know how to combine flavors. He believes many entrepreneurs have that same innate sense of taste, but risk watering it down by chasing trends instead of trusting their instincts.
He encourages founders to build on their strongest style instincts first, then layer on new elements once they feel confident. Goodee’s philosophy around taste is rooted in consistency over trends, helping customers cultivate their own design language.
That strategy has made Goodee a tastemaker, not just a marketplace. When gardening unexpectedly became a fast-growing category post-pandemic, the team responded by curating tools like Japanese cutting shears and nesting pots, showing that good curation also means staying close to customer behavior.
Redefining growth on your own terms
The Pearts are clear-eyed about growth: Yes, they want Goodee to scale. But not for growth’s sake. “It’s 100% growth for all the right reasons,” Dexter says. “If more people start shopping more intentionally for better products, buy less of it, but buy better—that is a great growth strategy.”
At Goodee, growth means expanding impact. More sales means more orders for their partners, more jobs for makers, and more opportunities for customers to align their spending with their values. “If we grow, those makers’ opportunities grow,” says Byron.
Rather than chasing niche appeal or short-term sales spikes, the Pearts aim to shift consumer behavior one thoughtful purchase at a time. “That is probably fundamentally what we get up out of bed every day to do,” says Byron.
Resilience through uncertainty
Goodee launched in 2019 and went remote just nine months later due to the pandemic. Rather than stall, the team used that time to deepen customer relationships and sharpen internal processes.
“If you stay curious and you accept that you have to keep rolling, shifting, moving—those are the things that create opportunity,” says Dexter.
Their resilience also stems from building a business that’s human-first. They stay connected to customers through surveys, reviews, and now face-to-face retail at their Montreal flagship. These insights inform everything from sourcing to marketing and merchandising. The physical store isn’t their largest revenue driver—but it’s a valuable source of learning.
Another key to their staying power is pacing. “Good things take time,” Byron says. “And if you build trust over time, you’ll have a good business.”
Goodee is proof that good business starts with good values. Byron and Dexter Peart have built a profitable, purpose-driven marketplace not by chasing trends or scale, but by betting on integrity, trusting their instincts, and staying human at every step. For more advice and insight from the Peart brothers, check out the full interview on Shopify Masters, wherever you get your podcasts.
