North Bay Woman

"We held hands that day, and we partnered," Kanter says. They began shipping products to stores in 2004, and that was the beginning of Serena & Lily, which offers bedding, furniture and accessories and has grown from wholesale to an on- line retail catalog to stores, with the fi rst in Sausalito. "We just kept building that business into a life- style brand. It sounds easy, but it wasn't," she says. Two years ago, with the company es- tablished and prosper- ing, they hired a CEO to run it, giving Kanter the freedom to pursue a dream. "My passion was always in the non-prof- it world. I wanted to get back to my roots," she explains. In 2017, she learned that the owners of Mixed Bags, a Burlingame school-fund- raising business, wanted to retire and were seeking a buyer who could give the company new energy. The prospect was exciting for Kanter, because it would allow her to utilize her technology and consum- er-branding background to provide a platform she could open to any cause. She purchased Mixed Bags in June 2017, and the revamped company opened as Boon Supply on May 9. "We're in the middle of the transition. There are a lot of moving parts," she says, but the company is up and run- ning and providing revenue for a variety of non-profi t or- ganizations worldwide, while she continues to work on product innovation and the company's channel strategy. "I just love unlocking cap- italism as a force for good," she says. Among the benefi ciaries is the Malala Fund, named for Pakistani activist and Nobel Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai. "I love what Malala is all about," says Kanter, explain- ing that the fund champions every girl's right to 12 years of free, safe, quality educa- tion. "We believe girls are the best investment in the future peace and prosperity of our world, and every girl should be able to learn and lead without fear. We just took our family to a refugee camp at the border of South Sudan and Kenya," she adds. IsraAid, a charity that sup- ports the needs of refugees in Kenya's Kakuma Camp, is earning revenues from Boon Supply as well. Locally, schools need a hand, and Kiddo! (the Mill Valley Schools Foundation) and Tam High Foundation are on the roster of fundraisers. Kanter is totally committed to Boon Supply and has big aspirations. "I see it as my legacy project," she says. "It blends everything I want to do in the world with my business pursuits. I'm super jazzed to be working on it." And, it's in the perfect spot. With the company's corporate offi ce in Mill Valley, she can be home for dinner with her family and take time out for her kids' events. "I love being local," she says. "Marin is just an amazing place to innovate. It's a great place to build a business." n Snacks, candles, creams and candies are among the fi nds at online retailer Boon Supply. – Photos courtesy of Boon Supply Boon Supply Founder CEO Lily Kanter at her Mill Valley pop-up store. - Photo by Stuart Lirette 28 NORTH BAY WOMAN ports the needs of refugees in Kenya's Kakuma Camp, is earning revenues from Boon Supply as well. Locally, schools need a hand, and Kiddo! (the Mill Valley Schools Foundation) and Tam High Foundation are on the roster of fundraisers. Kanter is tota to Boon Supply and has big aspirations. "I see it as my legacy project," she says. "It blends everything the world with my business

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