A pop-up store selling environmentally friendly products in repurposed packaging is at Aberdeen Mall for the Christmas season.

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Christmas is coming and that could mean a lot of presents, plastics and packaging will be piling up. 

An eco-friendly store and refillery is taking up residence at the Aberdeen Mall in Kamloops for the season to provide environmentally friendly and locally sourced options for gifts and packaging.

Not only can customers shop for gifts at Our Footprints Co., they can refill bottles of supplies such as soap and shampoo, and they can also drop off their compost.

“We offer mostly Canadian products that are mostly made by businesses owned by women,” owner Jennifer Norman said. “Our products are vegan and cruelty free. We reduce single-use plastic, refill, reuse and compost.”

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Norman said since the inception of the company almost two years ago, 40,000 pounds of food waste has been rerouted from the landfills to a local composting facility, thanks to an in-store compost drop-off program.

“I wanted to fill in the gap for those who live in apartments or don’t know how to compost,” Norman said. “We use industrial composters so we can put in things that don’t go into backyard composts, such as meat and bones. A lot of people get into a rhythm of stopping in to drop off compost and refill bottles once every week or two.”

The store offers household items, personal grooming items and some food items, such as loose leaf teas.

Norman said the online branch of the company reaches customers from Hawaii to Northwest Territories to Prince Edward Island. 

“We have 17,000 followers online and have mailed over 4,000 items all in repurposed packaging,” she said. “I estimate the company has prevented 160,000 single use plastics from being created. I buy soap in 55 gallon drums that are later turned into rain barrels.”

Our Footprints Co. had its original storefront location in Kelowna, but Norman has since closed it down and is focussed on her now two operating outlets in her hometown of Kamloops, plus an online store.

“I wanted to be in Kamloops so I opened a second location here,” she said. “There was a period of time where I was trying to manage both, going back and forth. With all the extra challenges that came with COVID plus the extra needs one of my children requires it all became too much.”

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The main store location is on Hillside Drive and the seasonal one is at the mall where Norman wants to spread awareness that environmentally friendly options are available and that every little step counts.

“People who come into our stores who have never been there usually have a wide-eyed expression,” she said. “We want to engage with people and show them that small changes can add up to big results.”

The new location opened on Nov. 1 and will be running until the New Year when Norman and her staff will be returning to their main location.

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