Leading up to — and during — Small Business Week in Yellowknife, we asked you to nominate who you thought was Yellowknife’s Best Retailer.
From those nominations, residents voted for who they thought that business was. We now have a winner.
Boreal Kids Consignment, co-owned and operated by Lyric Sandhals and Amy Allan and operated in the basement of the 50/50 Mini Mall, received the lion’s share of the 163 votes cast — 74 — and won themselves a marketing package courtesy of NNSL Media.
“It was amazing to hear that we won,” said Allan. “It told us that what we’re doing is something people need and it gives us that boost to carry on and grow. We have our own little established space and we’re hoping to be able to become more accessible to everyone in the future.”
With that in mind, let’s introduce you to exactly what Boreal Kids Consignment is all about.
Sandhals and Allan started the business in October 2020 with the idea of selling pre-loved and new baby, kids, maternity and women’s clothing, as well as footwear and accessories.
“Lyric and I had talked about doing something like this for years,” said Allan. “The struggle we had was how to find the right space. The risk of getting into consignment was low, but there was the risk of opening a store and plenty of risk up front when starting a business.”
Add to that the risk of opening up a business during the pandemic.
“Those were scary times, for sure,” said Allan. “But it allowed us to reach out and start seeing what was out there. There are a lot of people who want to try and make something back from expensive purchases they’ve made over the years.”
Here’s how consignment works:
People can take their items to the store during regular business hours — Monday to Saturday between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. — or they can be mailed in for those who live outside Yellowknife, Ndilo or Dettah; shipping costs are borne by the sender.
Any item sold on consignment will receive a 40 per cent return from the store and all monies are paid out by e-transfer at the end of every month. Items not sold after three months will either be returned to the owner or donated to a charity, if that’s what the consignor wants.
No women’s footwear will be accepted and all two-piece bathing suits must have both halves in order to be accepted. All items must be in good condition — no tears, rips or stains — and no crocheted or knitted items will be accepted without brand/sizing tags.
Allan said in addition to consigned items, the store now sells new items that are hard to come by in Yellowknife.
There’s a rental component to the store as well, she added, with strollers, car seatspl playpens and mini-cribs available.
Allan said the store is filling a void of sorts and the consignment market across Canada, as a whole, is starting to grow.
“With the cost of living being so high now, people want to try and gain something back from what they may not need anymore and people are looking for good items at a lower cost,” she said. “Maternity and kids clothing have a short shelf life and it’s also a way to support sustainable living. We want to support slow fashion and ethically-produced items.”
Like every other small business in Yellowknife, the store had to close during the evacuation, which put a dent in their business.
But Allan said back-to-school shoppers and the coming holiday shopping season have seen things rebound somewhat.
“Obviously, it was a bad time to close and people were shopping down south while they were away,” she said. “It’s turning around now and we’re seeing a lot of people start their Christmas shopping. We’re happy that people are supporting a local business and we hope that they’ll all support local businesses here in town.”