Toxin-free shopping at its best
In early November, we opened the doors to a whole new concept to retail. The concept of ‘how much old stuff can we pull out of the landfill or from our workshop and reuse to make a funky and fun new store’.
As part of the renovation, we put an extreme objective in place. One we felt was paramount to our core purpose of removing toxins from the world. The vision for this store is that it is a completely toxin-free and earth-friendly environment. In a world full of toxic laquers, paints, finishings and furniture…hows THAT for a challenge?
We made resolution early in the planning stages to avoid a ‘red-list’ of the toxins typically found in the construction of a store. Every material we used is toxin-free and either reusable, reclaimed, recyclable or compostable. We also wanted to make sure that no parts of the store will ever end up in a landfill, after all, we’d literally just pulled some parts of the store OUT of the landfill.
We had fun scrounging up materials such as reclaimed wood from a barn in Manitoba, amber glass beer bottles for light fixtures, and ingredient containers such as tin olive oil cans and drums which were given new life as eco-chic chandeliers. We searched for antiques to use for cabinetry, and avoided virgin flooring, we just diamond ground the concrete floor that was already there. We also dug a hole down through the store floor and into the soil below to make home for a beautiful fig tree which we’ve affectionately dubbed ‘The Lorax’. American Clay on the walls and the living wall at the rear of the store help to purify the air while the living wall on the store-front adds a festive and natural header with its red berries and evergreen seedlings.
We invite you to come visit this ‘new/old’ store to enjoy a completely worry-free shopping experience. We’ve had some comments that most newly renovated stores have a toxic ‘paint-fumey’ scent, but ours didn’t have a smell at all. That is until we moved in about two million tonnes of soap. We’d so love to hear what you think the next time you’re in for a visit! Write to us at info@rockymountainsoap.com.
On April 9 between 1 and 2pm at our Vancouver location (on South Granville between 14th and 15th), Gillian Deacon will be on hand to sign copies of her book ‘There’s Lead in Your Lipstick’ and answer all your questions about chemicals to avoid in body care products. Take advantage of having a real expert at your fingertips!
By the time she heads out the front door, the modern woman has spritzed, sudsed, and slathered herself in more than 127 different chemicals, many of them more toxic than beautifying.
Our new scrubs have been out for two weeks now, and wow have we ever gotten some love from you guys about them! Here’s one of my favorites:
I came back from lunch to a very quiet office, Red and I were the only two people clacking away on our keyboards. Out of the blue I hear her say, ‘Do you want a story for your website?’
We’re typically a company that sticks with ‘safe’. Our products are 100% natural. I never drop f-bombs (although there is a first time for everything). During our Winter Celebration Party we went tubing… and wore helmets. For Valentine’s Day last year we put together a giftset filled with foot products and called it ‘Tickle Her Toes’. Cute. And safe.
All good things must come to an end, or so they say. And so it has come time to say good-bye to our Berry Body Butter. Here you can view our last one in the Canmore store. And to pay our respects, an obituary:
I overdid it at the gym on wednesday. Which means my back, butt and hamstrings complain every time I stand up, sit down, walk, bend over, and move about in general. So, after sitting in a steaming tub full of 
