Being able to recycle clothes and upcycle cloths and pass them on to the next generation is really the core of our sustainability model.
Published Jun 25, 2022 • Last updated Jun 25, 2022 • 5 minute read
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Janel Edwards opened Reclaim Saskatoon in May 2022 as a sustainable clothing store for pregnant people and children from birth to 5 years old. Photo taken in Saskatoon, SK on Tuesday, June 7, 2022.Photo by Matt Smith /Saskatoon StarPhoenix
Businesses and non-profit organizations regularly open and move in Saskatoon. Today, the StarPhoenix talks to Janel Edwards who recently had twins and took the time off work as an opportunity to explore a new line of business. Edwards, who had been a youth mental health crisis worker, opened Reclaim Saskatoon, a store specializing in second-hand clothing for pregnant women and young children. She and her husband care very much about the environment, and saw the business as an opportunity to help young families while reducing textile waste and resource usage.
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Janel Edwards opened Reclaim Saskatoon in May 2022 as a sustainable clothing store for pregnant people and children from birth to 5 years old. Photo taken in Saskatoon, SK on Tuesday, June 7, 2022.Photo by Matt Smith /Saskatoon StarPhoenix
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Q: What products does Reclaim Saskatoon offer?
A: Reclaim is an inclusive and accessible maternity, baby and kids shop that sells primarily second-hand and sustainable clothing that has been purchased from customers.
Q: Does Reclaim Saskatoon provide maternity dress rentals?
A: Reclaim is proud to be the first and only store in Saskatoon to offer maternity dress rentals. It’s a really good cost saver. Most people when they’re pregnant, they maybe want to have a family photo sharing that they’re going to a wedding or even for their baby shower. They just want to feel beautiful and special and in a garment that fits them in the current body that they have. They don’t necessarily want to spend $200 on a dress that they’re going to wear once. So this is a great option to wear a high-end dress, that will fit your pregnant body and then bring it back, we launder it and then you don’t have to worry about trying to resell it or anything like that.
Q: What makes Reclaim Saskatoon unique?
A: Our accessibility and our customer service. We make sure that when you walk into our store, the lighting is a certain tone so that it doesn’t hurt your eyes. All of our aisleways are wheelchair and stroller accessible and every time we change a display, we go through the store with a stroller to make sure that everyone can get around comfortably. Our staff are trained with the proper vernacular to address everyone with gender-inclusive terms. So when people walk into our store, we don’t immediately say, ‘Hey ladies,’ because we don’t want to assume. We have gender-inclusive bathrooms. We have two changing spaces, we have a nursing suite. We have water and snacks available, as well as a colouring and toy station for the little ones who come in — because a happy toddler is a happy shopper. It’s kind of a different experience. I kind of missed out during the pandemic because that’s when I had my babies and there wasn’t really a (place like this) where I could belong. So I think we’ve really created that here. People will come and shop and stay for an hour and nurse their baby or call their girlfriends and then shop and hang out and it’s really nice. It’s pretty different.
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Q: What kind of clothing do you buy?
A: Right now we’re just buying maternity because we’re super full for littles. We pay cash for maternity the first week of the month until we’re full. Then after that, you can get full credit for your maternity which is worth 110 percent of your cash. So we have some people who have come in who actually bought maternity stuff, had their baby and then came back in and swapped it out for a new baby wardrobe, which is really cool. So it’s a good way to kind of make your cash last.
Q: Why the commitment to sustainable clothing?
A: Second-hand clothing is kind of the most sustainable way to cloth yourself. (This) is a really big issue nowadays with clothing companies coming out with 52 micro lines, versus a fall line and a summer line. So being able to recycle clothes and upcycle clothes and pass them on to the next generation is really the core of our sustainability model. I have twins myself. They’re just about two. And all of their clothing is second-hand because they go through it so fast and they outgrow it so fast. Some pieces they never even got to wear.
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Q: Is there anything else similar to you in Saskatoon?
A: There’s nothing like what we do. There are consignment shops which are somewhat similar, but we like to pride ourselves as a boutique store experience on a thrift store budget. And with our buybacks, anything that we could buy from you that we can go put directly on the rack, we’ll pay you market value for. If there’s anything that you have that has a small imperfection that we can dye and upcycle into a new garment, we’ll buy that from you by weight. And anything that we can’t sell because maybe it’s too worn and would be in bad taste to donate it to take it to like a Value Village or something like that, we’ll actually warehouse it here.
Q: Do you recycle clothing that can’t be sold?
A: We’re working with a couple of local places to try and hopefully get a textile recycling program on the western coast of Canada. There’s nothing like that here. We’re trying to work with Loraas and they’ve been great.
The closest kind of textile recycling is in California. But sending all of our textiles down there, kind of negates the environmental impact, with shipping all the clothes. So as soon as something becomes available, then we’re going to take full advantage of that or if an opportunity presents itself then we’d like to do that ourselves too.
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This interview has been edited and condensed.
Reclaim Saskatoon
Owner: Janel Edwards Address: 510 Circle Drive East, Unit 20 Hours: Monday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sunday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Phone: 306-382-2229 Email:[email protected] Website: www.reclaimsaskatoon.ca Check: Facebook, Instagram
Have you recently started or moved a new business or non-profit organization in Saskatoon? We want to hear your story. Please email [email protected]
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