'100 Doodles of Guelph' initiative captures landmarks and small businesses in community

Documenting small businesses through doodles From CTV Kitchener's Jessica Smith: A Guelph artist is documenting the small business community through doodles.

GUELPH — A Guelph artist has been documenting local landmarks and the small business community one doodle at a time.

Ellen Piazza started the '100 Doodles of Guelph' initiative as a way to capture her neighbourhood, but it's also been providing a boost for some who have been hit hard by the pandemic.

"I just did it for myself really," she said. "I started sharing it to Instagram and online and since then it's grown a little bit."

Piazza adds that she had just moved to the Guelph area before the pandemic and started the initiative to get to know her community better.

"I'm hoping that now it encourages people to shop local and really celebrate the local businesses and places that make Guelph special," she said.

Dee Hernandez, a co-owner of Pressed for Time Paninis in Downtown Guelph, says the doodle of their storefront was a welcomed surprise after they were hit hard by the pandemic.

"I don't think she still knows what it means to us," she said. "We often say that Guelph is such a beautiful, support community, and we all kind of work together, and that's just a perfect example of that."

Piazza gifted them a copy of the drawing as a keepsake in hopes of creating a positive moment from the pandemic.

Guelph Mayor Cam Guthrie even reposted doodle number 16 of a well-known pizzeria.

"I couldn't believe he reposted it," said Piazza. "Obviously I'm very grateful for that support and I think it's just a testament to how Guelph supports the artistic community."

The artist has roughly 30 doodles down so far and has 70 more to go.