The older I get, the more I recognize how poorly I’ve spent my money in the past. In my late teens and early twenties I used to own so many pieces of clothing. It was all clothes I wore, maybe once, or maybe a couple of times a year. Sometimes I even bought things and never wore them. I would try them on during one of my purges and find that they no longer fit or I no longer wanted to wear that piece and it would end up in the donate pile.
I’m a consummate purger — I love to purge. Marie Kondo may have made the process famous, and she certainly has more patience than I do when it comes to effective folding habits, but I’ve been purging my belongings since I was a child and I’m pretty ruthless at it.
I purge at least once a year, even now, when I buy and own far fewer items. Recognizing that I owned too many clothing items, led to a deep purge. Which was followed by deliberation of what my actual style was and what I needed in my closet versus what was frivolous spending.
My sense of style has changed a lot in the last 15 years. I used to be wild in my clothing — not just following trends, but also fearless in mixing prints and patterns, not shy of colour, still determining what cuts were flattering. But in the last decade, my body has changed, and my style has leaned heavily on comfort versus trends. That’s not to say that I don’t have stylish looks, but I tend to have two moods: comforting clothing and #lewks.
Part of paring my wardrobe back is ensuring that I make more intentional purchases. When I first started on this journey, intentional purchases meant understanding how each piece of clothing would work in the overall wardrobe/style. When COVID-19 hit, “intentional” evolved to mean a complete end to fast fashion purchases and moving towards Canadian-made/local spending because it’s so important to boost local economy now, especially as travel is currently out of the question. When the Black Lives Matter movement ramped up following the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, “intentional” further evolved again.
Now I’m looking to give my money to local businesses, businesses that really focus on sustainability, businesses run by BIPOC, even better if they are run by women. I’m turning away from businesses that use prison labour (aka modern day slavery), and away from businesses that spend their profits on political and social issues that don’t align with my own.
I don’t deny that this is a big, and extremely difficult change. It will take time to build up my roster of trusted businesses. I’m hoping you’re in for the ride, whether you are making these types of changes or not. So I’ve rounded up several businesses to shop at. The businesses in this list are those that I’ve recently discovered myself or through friends. I have not yet shopped at most of these but I look forward to reviewing the products and services I invest in.
| Name | Type of Good or Service |
| 6 By Gee Beauty | Boutique |
| Anara | Home Goods |
| Anice Jewellery | Jewellry |
| Ardith | Boutique |
| Baba Souk | Home Goods |
| Bluboho | Jewellry |
| Boneset Studio | Clothing |
| Cambie | Home Goods |
| Chance & Fate | Clothing Boutique |
| Cheekbone Beauty | Beauty |
| Comeback Season | Clothing |
| Decade | Clothing (denim) |
| Earth Connection Oil | Skincare & Wellness |
| Ease | Clothing Boutique |
| Encircled | Clothing |
| Essentials by Temi | Skincare & Wellness |
| Fawn | Clothing |
| Foe and Dear | Jewellry |
| Forage and Sustain | Boutique |
| Fortnight Lingerie & Swim | Clothing (Lingerie & Swimwear) |
| Frances Watson | Clothing |
| Gee Beauty | Skincare & Wellness |
| Goodee World | Home Goods |
| hernest project | Clothing |
| Horse Atelier | Clothing |
| Imortelle | Clothing |
| June Home Supply | Home Goods |
| Knix | Clothing |
| Kotn | Clothing |
| The Lake | Boutique |
| Laurie Fleming Jewellery | Jewellry |
| LD Shoppe | Home Goods |
| Leaves of Trees | Skincare & Wellness |
| Love & Nudes | Clothing (Lingerie) |
| Maguire Boutique | Shoes |
| Maison Tess | Home Goods |
| Mary Young | Clothing |
| Mejuri | Jewellry |
| Mima Ceramics | Home Goods |
| Mother Earth Essentials | Skincare & Wellness |
| OkayOK | Clothing |
| Omi Woods | Jewellry |
| QuartzyCrystals | Jewellry |
| Rug & Weave | Home Goods |
| Sade Baron | Skincare & Wellness |
| Sahajan Skincare | Skincare & Wellness |
| Sarisha Beauty | Skincare & Wellness |
| The Silk Labs | Clothing |
| Skwalwen Botanicals | Skincare & Wellness |
| Soft Focus | Clothing |
| Stole My Heart | Clothing (Boutique) |
| Unika Swim | Clothing (Swimwear) |
| Victoire | Clothing (Boutique) |
| Wild Woven | Home Goods |
| Wildcraft Care | Skincare & Wellness |
| YatehLikeLatte | Styling Services |
Businesses I have already invested in: Anice, Bluboho, Leaves of Trees, Laurie Fleming Jewellery, and Mejuri. Laurie made my engagement and wedding rings, and she’s got a lovely collection of pieces (many of which can be customized). I bought the Tarot Moon necklace from Mejuri earlier this year, with my Virgo twins, and their large jewelry box during quarantine. I ordered the Namesake ring from Bluboho at the start of quarantine, and just had it engraved this week (finally!). I’ve been popping into Anice for the past decade, picking up stacking rings and creating custom gifts. I bought some natural deodorant from Leaves of Trees, which was highly recommended. Unfortunately, I had an allergic reaction. However, their hand lotion is wonderful! Also, for full disclosure, the womxn who run Quartzy Crystals and YatehLikeLatte are personal friends and I believe their businesses deserve more attention!
I will also be purchasing from some Black owned businesses based in the States and some Indigenous owned businesses from across Turtle Island. So I’ll share more sustainable BIPOC businesses soon. For the time being, I wanted to share what I had found — in case you too were searching for new places to spend your money. We live in a capitalist society and how/where we spend our money really matters. It matters to the small, local businesses. It matters to the people who craft our products around the world. It matters to those whose well-being is constantly put at risk by those in power.
If you know of any businesses that fit any or all of my criteria, I’d love to learn more about them!