| December 18, `07 |
 Dreaming of a Green ChristmasMississauga's best-kept retail secret - the I'm for REAL (Revolutionizing Environmental Awareness and Lifestyles) store - isn't going to be a secret anymore. And that is a very good thing. When Shelley-Ann and Michael Solomon started the business on Earth Day 2006, they knew they had their work cut out for them. Located to the rear of the row of shops on the west side of Queen St. in Streetsville, the problem was that no one ever found the mecca for "green" shoppers, even though it featured an amazing array of products, from clothes to personal care products, to art, to fair-trade chocolate. The Streetsville locale closed in August but I'm for REAL has lived up to its name by resurfacing in a perfect spot — in the retail row of stores inside the emergency entrance of Credit Valley Hospital, in what used to be the building's main lobby. "In the other location, we were bringing every person in the door," says Shelley-Ann, a big smile on her face as she and her sister held the official opening of the new location Friday. "We literally had to create that person ourselves." In its new home, there are 3,000 staff who already have a keen interest in health, and a ton of visitors who are thinking more about their health because they are patients or they are visiting patients. For the first time ever, I'm for REAL truly has walk-in trade. Despite the tiny size of the space (308 sq. ft.), the Solomons still manage to carry an enormous range of products and, through the wonder of the Internet, many more are available for the asking. The store abounds in bamboo and hemp products and a big seller for Christmas is a series of wood puzzles, in the shape of Canadian animals made of rubberwood, which many new Canadians love to send out of the country to relatives. This is one shop where you'll never have to worry about toys with lead paint, or clothes treated with chemicals or products that made from sweatshop labour. Since Shelley-Ann, who just happens to have a master's degree in behavioural medicine, is a natural born educator, it makes sense to have a little library too. Cook books (Foods That Fight Cancer) books for expectant parents (The Complete Organic Pregnancy) and new parents (The Womanly Act of Breastfeeding) will catch the eye of lots of browsers, especially those looking for presents for patients. "The response so far has been wonderful," says Shelley-Ann. "A lot of people who are in the hospital are going through major health issues and are really thinking about what they can do differently for themselves and their bodies." If you can't be bothered with learning all the details of the problems of plastics filled with bisphenol A or the issues surrounding the toxic chemicals used to produce most cotton, you can let I'm for REAL do the research for you and be assured you are getting an environmental responsible product. Dropping by with her mother to do some shopping Friday was Stephanie Crocker, Peel Environmental Alliance Youth Alliance coordinator at Ecosource. Carrying a puzzle in the shape of a beaver, Crocker says, " I love that this is an ecological toy," she says. "I see people wheeling big buggies away from Wal-Mart with carts full of really unhealthy things for kids. "I'm for REAL is making the connection between health and the commercial products we choose to put in our homes and in our bodies," says Crocker, pointing out that the Solomons also have gifts that simply can't be purchased anywhere else. Grassroots on Bloor St. in Toronto carries many similar products, "but it's a long way to go and a lot of the things I'm for REAL has are unique," says Crocker. "I love supporting this store." Posted by John Stewart on December 18, 2007 3:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) |
| April 7, `07 |
| Mississauga News Article "They’re for Real" |
| November, `06 |
| Today's Parent, — "The goods on organic Cotton" — Article by Shelley-Ann Solomon |
| July, `07 |
| Evening Out Magazine, — Mississauga News and Etobicoke Guardian insert — " Food for the Skin" — Article by Michael Solomon |
| I'm for Real 905-813-2244 info@imforreal.com |
| They’re for Real Shelley-Ann Solomon calls her business “conscious commerce.” “It’s about people making a conscious choice to live according to the values they talk about,” she says standing in her I’m For REAL (Revolutionizing Environmental Awareness and Lifestyles) store in the heart of Streetsville. “It’s about understanding that we can do this in small steps; that it’s very important for us to create a better environmental legacy for our children than the path we’re currently on.” Shelley-Ann and her husband Michael (who is in the St. Mary’s University Hall of Fame for his prowess as a basketball small forward) have shoehorned an amazing array of organic and recycled products, from the linoleum and cork flooring you walk upon to the art that hangs on the wall, into about 700 square feet of floor space down a little lane on the west side of Queen St., immediately south of Pearl St. It’s not easy to find. You either have to walk down Gagliano Lane from Queen or head to the municipal parking lot in the back before it becomes visible. It’s worth the effort, however, for those who want to put their money where their environmental conscience is. From portable solar panels to fair trade organic chocolate, from jewellery made from Tagua (vegetable ivory) to belts made from recycled tires (guaranteed to give you 100,000 miles of wear), everything in the store showcases sustainability. There’s more hemp in this store that in half the head shops in Vancouver. Opened on Earth Day in April, the Solomons are hoping that their business is as sustainable as their attitudes. Shelley-Ann, who holds a master’s degree in behavioural medicine, loves to explode the “myth of the purity of cotton” for prospective young mothers. “They use 84 million pounds of insecticides to grow this crop,” she says. Rather than putting insecticides next to baby’s body, where they can be absorbed through the skin, Solomon sells organic cotton, which is processed mechanically rather than chemically. You’ll pay a premium for it, of course, but you’ll feel a lot better when you put baby to bed. “My rule of thumb is if you can’t eat it, don’t put it next to your skin,” says Solomon. From candles to hand cream, the philosophy is the same. And Shelley-Ann loves to talk about it. “I’m the talker. He’s the quiet one,” she says pointing to her husband, who smiles and nods on cue. Be forewarned. You may go into I’m For Real looking for a shopping experience, but after you’ve heard Shelley-Ann impart her philosophy of environmental responsibility, you may feel as if you’ve had a spiritual one |