Update on The Retail Challenge

It only seems fitting that the end of 2009 should include an update on The Retail Challenge, one of my more popular posts to date.  If you remember back to earlier this year, I was in a state of unemployment and just sick to my stomach with all the news stories about the latest companies laying off workers.  No one was spending any money, even those that were still employed.  Thus, my simple idea to get people spending to stir up our economy a bit so the unemployed would have a chance at employment.
I'm not going to explain the whole challenge again,  you can read the earlier post by clicking here.  My own personal challenge was to spend $1000 in the retail world once I started working again.  That happened back in April and I have been working to fulfill that promise while also trying to pay for a very expensive trip to the Olympics in Vancouver next year.  Because of that trip, it took me a very long time to complete my own personal Retail Challenge.  And if you want to know the truth, there are many things I should not have bought, but it's done now and someone has benefitted from it so I guess I can live with it.
I was going to list everything that I bought, yes I've actually been keeping track, but I think that would be too long.  So I will list certain items and you'll just have to trust me on the rest.  I Blogger swear to you that I spent at least $1000 if not more. You'll have to trust me on the amounts too!  For my own safety I have decided that I should not disclose prices.

Strapless Printed Dress - White House/Black Market
Purple Samsura Bag - Trixie (Bloor West Village, Toronto)
Second Yoga Jeans - Trixie
Polka Dot Dress - Trixie
Sterling Silver Ring - Vivah
Cosmetics - Mary Kay
Sutter Crossbody Bag - Fossil
TV Bench & Coffee Table- Ikea
Headband - This is J
Long Gold Necklace - Moonrox booth at OOAK
Various Clothing Items - GAP, they had great sales what can I say?
Olympic Gear - HBC, Rona
Area Rug - West Elm
Colin - Monster Factory booth at OOAK
Shortbread cookies - The Shortbread Factory
Suitcase - Samsonite
Canada tee and Hoody - Roots Canada
Seven for all Mankind Jeans - Holt Renfrew
Coffee - Gold Star Coffee
Waterproof Boots - Browns

There you go.  That is the majority of the list.  I'll try to include photos of whatever I can. 
Where I failed was in my ability to buy from independent retailers.  That was a condition for myself in the challenge.  The only thing I can say in my defence is that I was trying to cut down on shopping and did not find myself in as many areas to buy from independents.  For 2010, I will create another challenge for myself, perhaps the exact same one and I will spend all that money with independent retailers.  They are an important and vital part of our economy and deserve our support.  I will keep my eyes open for new places to shop in 2010.  I promise once my Vancouver Olympics trip is paid off, I will take up this challenge with gusto!
Happy New Year everyone.  May 2010 hold many wonderful things for all of you.
Thank you so much for reading.
Christina

Roots Never Goes Out Of Style

Above
Left: I say hello to the Roots Canada Collection.

Right: Michael Budman,Johann Olav Koss and Don Green address the crowd.

Models for the evening, joined by Michael Budman, Don Green and Johann Olav Koss.

I was lucky enough to be invited to the launch party for the Roots Canada Collection on November 5th at their flagship store on Bloor Street in Toronto. As you all know I’m headed to Vancouver in February for the Olympics. Since I secured my final tickets back in June, the thought of what I am going to wear has been on my mind. This party was the perfect opportunity to check out stylish “Canada” apparel to help me build my Olympic wardrobe.
The evening consisted of very smart looking people taking in an introductory speech from Don Green, co-founder of Roots, later joined on stage by his counterpart Michael Budman. It’s amazing to me how long these gentlemen have known each other, been in business together and are still great friends. That alone speaks volumes to why Roots has been such a successful, sustainable brand. A portion of each purchase from the Canada Collection will be donated to the charity, “Right to Play”. Started by Norwegian speed skater Johann Olav Koss, Right To Play gives children all over the world the opportunity to be introduced to sports and the positive aspects that go along with playing on a team. Johann also spoke briefly about his move to Canada and his partnership with Roots and Mastercard.
The Collection was then modelled by a variety of athletes and really, what can I say other than great job Roots! I like this collection much better than the one I saw in the summer. There is the standard Roots fare in T-shirts, zip hoodys and accessories; the best one being the Canada toque for $10. My favourite piece is the Yukon Jacket, a cross between a fleece top and lightweight jacket. It comes in Black or Red and would be great to layer with additional pieces from the collection. I'm thinking of getting the Black one for me and the Red one for my brother. A few special edition leather bags round out this Canada Collection.
Ninety percent of the collection was made in Canada, which is so nice to hear and something I definitely want to support. When the planning process began, the founders were adamant that the pieces were to be made in Canada. It’s quite impressive that they did so and were able to keep the pricing extremely reasonable. I was pleasantly surprised when I saw the prices; I really was expecting them to be more expensive.
It was a great night and I am so grateful to have been a part of it. The evening was about celebrating Canada, celebrating Roots and its history and its partnership with Right To Play, but most of all, it was about celebrating great style and clothing! I hope to be wearing that Yukon jacket come February 2010. I want to announce to the world that I am from Canada!
For more information on Right To Play, visit their website: http://www.righttoplay.com/
The Roots Canada Collection is available at your local Roots store or shop online at: http://canada.roots.com/.

Everyone Loves Miz Mooz

I love checking out my blog stats on Google Analytics. It's so interesting to me to see what people are reading on my blog and where they are coming from to do so. I really do appreciate the time anyone takes to read one post or all of them. Thank you so much for reading my thoughts and for those of you who leave comments, keep them coming!

By far, the most popular post has been Luv Your Shooz Miz Mooz. Seems that I am not the only woman madly in love with this brand. That post has been my most popular one and it is the one that I receive the most comments for. Thank you everyone for letting us know where we can find Miz Mooz in Canada.

I recently received a flyer from Town Shoes and guess what I saw in there? That's right, Miz Mooz is finally available at Town Shoes. I don't think it is a huge assortment but its a start. If you can't make it out to your favourite independent shoe retailer, we now have an option at the mall. As to how many stores carry the brand I'm not sure. I will stop in at Sherway sometime soon and see if the brand is there. You can also search by the Miz Mooz brand name on the Town Shoes website. Right now I only see one style available, but I'm sure they will have more. How can they not? I say we encourage them to buy more styles of Miz Mooz. It is obviously loved by Canadians judging from the amount of views I'm getting. Send your request to customerservice@townshoes.com and hopefully we'll see tons of Miz Mooz styles soon.

Happy Shopping!

Have Your Coffee, and Guilt Free Too!

A few years ago I was looking for the perfect gift for my coffee obsessed friend Kim. I won't tell you how much coffee she drinks but trust me when I say, if Kim says it is good coffee then it most certainly is.
I started out by looking for a sort of "coffee of the month" type club. Wouldn't I be the bestest friend ever if I gave her a gift of coffee that lasted throughout an entire year? Well, when I saw what that cost I quickly changed gears and decided to focus my efforts on something I could afford. That is how I found the quaint darling coffee/cafe establishment Birds and Beans Coffee. Birds and Beans offers an exotic variety of coffee from all over the world that is "certified organic, shade grown, fairly traded and Bird friendly." Coffee is offered from such places as Bolivia, Brazil, Columbia, Costa Rica, Ethiopia - I think this one was Kim's favourite, Houndaras and Nicaragua to name a few of the choices.
The website provides lists of which coffees are Fair Trade certified, Bird Friendly and Rainforest Alliance certified so you can buy knowing you are being a responsible consumer.
I liked being able to order the coffee online and have it sent to Kim. It was a nice surprise for her and she got to enjoy the scent of the freshly roasted coffee for a few days. From what I remember delivery was quick and inexpensive. Their retail location is not too far from me so now I go there and purchase it. This was definitely a great find and cool to discover it close to my neighbourhood.
In case you were wondering, Kim LOVED the coffee! That's enough to make me a fan for life.

Hats Off to Big It Up

I have been a huge fan of Big It Up for quite awhile now. I don't remember how I got into hats or why I did but for as long as I have been buying hats, almost all of them have come from Big It Up. A Canadian company based in Toronto, ON, Big It Up is a great success story. Started by a bunch of friends who wanted to raise the level of quality in goods produced, they launched the company in 1996. From there the company has continued to grow through more store and kiosk locations and now a website where you can order product.

Wander into any of their stores or kiosks and try on hats. You may be surprised at how good they look on you. Their salespeople are always super friendly and can help direct you to a style that will suit you.

I love the styles and colours and fabrics that they choose for their items. All of their hats are classic pieces from Fedoras to Poor Boys. Check out the cool floppy hats for summer.

I have hats I bought a few years ago that I still wear and they make any outfit look a bit funkier. Wearing a hat to work always garners a few comments so be ready for it.

When I was at Yorkdale the other weekend, I came across the kiosk/store there and was reminded of my fascination and love of hats. I don't usually wear them in the summer because its so hot, but come Fall and Winter, I will be dusting off my hats and working them into my wardrobe.

Last year at The Clothing Show my mom even bought a hat from Big It Up. Hat styles know no ages and I don't care what anyone says, you can find a hat style that looks good on you.

Support Canadian companies and support the style of hats. Who better to Bit It Up than you? I'm looking at their website now planning my next purchase. They are a perfect fit to include in my Retail Challenge.

Hats off to you.

Big It Up Store Locations

Not A Shopaholic Updates

I would like to say a heartfelt thank you to all those who take the time to read my blog and especially to those who link to my posts.
It seems as though the Retail Challenge has caught on. I still see activity to this post through Google Analytics which makes me very happy. A very special thank you to French Vanilla Home and the Always Upward Blog for passing on the challenge to their own followers. Cinda has even taken it to the next level with the 3/50 challenge. Let's keep it going.
True to my promise, now that I am employed, I am working on contributing my $1000 to the cause via independent retailers. Look for posts in the next few months as I set out to different shopping areas in Toronto to spend some money. I was hoping to have already completed my challenge but then I went a little nuts on tickets to the Olympics. Obviously that is quite a chunk of change but I am working through it, don't worry!
Another post that got a lot of views was Luv Your Shoes Miz Mooz. A few comments have come in from different people letting us know where they found this fabulous affordable brand in their cities. Keep it coming please! I will continue to approve all relevant comments no matter how long ago it was posted.
I'm also very excited to tell you of a new blog opportunity for me. Some of you may already read my other Blog, Journey to Vancouver 2010-Diary of a Fan. I was asked by someone at Tourism Vancouver to write for their blog, Inside Vancouver. They are asking different people from outside of Vancouver to write about their experiences as we get ready to travel to Vancouver for the Olympics. Apparently my love of the Olympics is coming through in those posts, lol. I'm honoured and excited to be a part of their blog. I will continue to post on my own as well. Follow all of them if you can!

The Best Aura to Have

Once in awhile, I come across something through my job that really makes me love what I do. This time that feeling is due to Aura Collective. The company was started by two business men, Eric Andrade and Colin Aikman and their idea is truly ingenious. Aura Collective is a website that brings the creative, talented artists across Canada to one central location. There are a wide variety of products and artists and all the items are spectacular. From jewellery to decor pieces, each one is unique and beautiful.

The Aura Collective website not only brings the talent of Canadian artists to our attention, it also contributes to the well being of society by donating a portion of each sale to a charity. When ordering from the website, you can dictate which charity you want the money to be donated to. How amazing is that? Now we can shop and feel doubly good about our purchases, not only are we putting money into the economy, we are also supporting a good cause. Retail therapy is now guilt free! The best thing about it is, I'm sure whatever you buy from the website, it will be a real conversation piece. When Eric and Colin first came to see us, we were all ohhhing and ahhing over the jewellery pieces and other trinkets they brought as a preview.

New artists and products are being added all the time. This is a site you should definitely bookmark. All around, a great idea, a great website and a great cause.

Be sure to visit the site to read up on the artists profiles and products for sale. Its like the One of a Kind show, all year round!