MOVING FORWARD

This week, Roots Co-Founders Don Green and Michael Budman celebrated the 33rd anniversary of Roots by opening an innovative new store in Toronto just up the street from where they opened their first location in 1973

This week in Toronto, on the very day that Roots celebrated its 33rd anniversary, Co- Founders Michael Budman and Don Green were busy overseeing the finishing touches on their latest achievement on the retail front. On August 15, Roots Rosedale -- Toronto’s first environmentally friendly combined fashion and home design store and yoga studio -- opened for business, heralding a bold new step forward for the company. Fittingly, it is situated on Yonge Street just a block north of where the original Roots store opened in 1973.

The store may be innovative but it's also true to the heritage of Roots, and not just due to its proximity to the original Roots store. The just-built store at 1073 Yonge Street is true to the core values of Roots -- personal well being, a healthy lifestyle, athleticism, and respect and appreciation for nature, the community, and great aesthetics -- and translates them into a lively, engaging and socially responsible retail space.

Designed by architect Diane Bald, Founder and Creative Director of Roots Home Design, who worked closely with Pauline Landriault, Director of Visual Planning and Store Development, Roots Rosedale mixes Roots essentials with fresh ingredients to offer a new shopping experience for the eco-conscious consumer. To that end, the store was built with environmental sensitivity.

Michael and Don have always believed that offering products suited to a healthy lifestyle and reflecting an environmental sensibility is important to the Roots consumer. More so today than ever. “This new store is a natural extension for Roots,” says Michael. “It represents where we want Roots to be as we move forward but it is also perfectly in keeping with our past. Roots has always been connected to nature and the outdoors, promoting an active, healthy lifestyle and being socially aware. In addition to showcasing and selling our products, we also see this store as sending a positive message to our customers about how being green is not a sacrifice but is about change and evolution and a way of thinking.”


Housed in a warm and intimate environment, Roots Rosedale offers a wide range of Roots products such as Roots Organic apparel made from organic cotton or hemp, and organic cotton baby clothing.

Another highlight is the Roots Yoga clothing line for men and women. It was created by Denyse Green, wife of Don Green, and a long-time yoga practitioner with 10 years of teaching experience, who oversees the collection. She works closely with a team of designers who, like herself, are veteran practitioners of yoga.

For yogis of all levels, Roots is opening its first Yoga Studio just upstairs from the store. Under the direction of Denyse, the new studio will offer classes in Classical, Hatha, Ashtanga and Vinyassa Yoga as well as mat Pilates. Twice a week, the Roots Yoga Studio will also offer free classes to Roots employees.

In addition to Roots Yoga, Roots Rosedale carries classic Roots apparel and accessories such as Roots authentic athletic wear for athletes of all levels, and traditional Roots Genuine Leather products, featuring vegetable-tanned leather. Vegetable tanning, which uses natural vegetable extracts from chestnuts and Argentinean quebracho trees, gives all of Roots Genuine Leather bags, accessories and furniture distinctive characteristics, and is able to transform even the slightest imperfection into something beautiful that continues to become intrinsically personal with time and use.

Roots Rosedale also features Roots Home products including furniture upholstered with vegetable-tanned leather, tables built from reclaimed wood, and organic cotton sheets and towels as well as linens made from bamboo fibers.

In addition to products for the home and body, Roots Rosedale also has oversized dressing rooms, ergonomically designed display fixtures, a planned juice bar, and books about health and wellness, all in a welcoming and warm shopping environment.

Adding to the visual experience of Roots Rosedale are the eye-catching, framed photographs taken by Senior Art Director Ilich Mejia and Diane Bald in addition to artwork by celebrated photographer and outdoorsman Don Stanfield, exhibited throughout the store.

It all adds up to an exciting, progressive new retail experience in the already impressive Roots retail network. It would be hard to find a better way for Roots to kick off its 34th year than with the opening of Roots Rosedale.

THE RIGHT STUFF

Roots Rosedale is designed and built in a way that is both welcoming to people and friendly to the environment. For example, the following materials were used in creating this retail space.

All the wood products purchased for the store come from forests that have been certified by the Forest Stewardship Council that promotes forests that meet a stringent set of social and environmental standards.

Woodstalk fiberboard has been used as the base-building material for the store’s floor, wall fixtures and cabinets. An alternative to medium density fiberboard (MDF) and particleboard, Woodstalk fiberboard is made from Canadian wheat straw that would have otherwise found its way into the waste stream.

All the floors in Roots Rosedale and Yoga Studio are made of solid bamboo that has received the EcoLogo certification by the Environmental Choice Program. Bamboo grows naturally, regenerates much faster than lumber trees, requires no replanting and very little fertilization or pesticides.

Multibond is a water-based assembly glue that has been used to secure the store’s bamboo flooring to the sub floor. Using water-based adhesives reduces the amount of volatile organic compounds and/or hazardous air pollutants.

Reclaimed wood has been used in the construction of Roots Home tables and accessories available in the store. These are non-virgin, non-forest products salvaged from a number of sources and therefore removed from the waste stream. Roots is also working with the Toronto-based Zerofootprint environmental organization to help neutralize the negative environmental impact of the store's electricity use through a special program called Zerofootprint Electricity Offsets.