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Meet the Retailer: Snowbasin Resort

Meet the Retailer: Snowbasin Resort

by Emily Lush Collaborator in BLOG
You've seen us in urban retail stores – but did you know that Laundromat is also stocked at winter resorts across Canada and the US? The beautiful Snowbasin Resort in Huntsville, Utah, is one of our longest-running retail partners.

The Grizzly Center Retail Shop at Snowbasin offers skiers all the sportswear, outerwear and accessories they need for a great day out on the slopes. That includes a selection of our fleece-lined sweaters and accessories.

We caught up with Cindy, Snowbasin's Retail Manager, to get her take on this year's ski season and why Laundromat sweaters are the perfect winter sports accessory.

What is the history of Snowbasin?

Snowbasin Resort is one of the oldest continuously operating ski areas in the nation. We officially opened in 1940 as Ogden’s Winter Playground when two rope tows were installed to pull skiers up Becker Hill.

Snowbasin hosted its first ski race in December 1940, attracting 75 racers. Sverre and Corey Engen opened Snowbasin’s first ski school in 1941.

Over the years, the resort has hosted NCAA National Ski Championships, the 2001 Disabled World Cup, and the Utah Winter Games. In 2002, we hosted the Men’s and Women’s Olympic Winter Games Downhill, Super G, Combined, and Paralympic events.

Can you tell us a bit about The Grizzly Center Shop and the kind of products you sell?

The Grizzly Retail Shop is the only retail space at Snowbasin Resort. It's an elegant space that highlights unique products. The shop is filled with ski and snowboard apparel, as well as all the items you need to stay warm and dry while on the mountain.

We also carry sportswear products, such as Laundromat, that are wonderful cold-weather items. It's our continual goal to offer our customers a wide variety of styles.

What motivates you to stock Laundromat apparel?

We've always loved that Laundromat is committed to Fair trade practices. In fact, we were one of the very first US retailers to start stocking Laundromat.

We’ve had steady sales since we first brought the sweaters into our shop many years ago!

What are some of your favorite items in the store at the moment?

It never hurts to look good while you're having fun. There are lots of quality products in the Grizzly Retail Shop to keep skiers/snowboarders warm and dry, and looking good at the same time.

If you have a favorite ski run, you can stop off in the shop and purchase a trail sign.

Do your customers have a favorite Laundromat design?

We have a wide variety of customers and that translates into differing tastes. Every season, different Laundromat products come to the forefront.

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Where do our knitter tips go?

Where do our knitter tips go?

Two years ago we introduced Knitter Tips at checkout on our US and Canadian stores.  This allowed our customers to give an extra thank you to our artisans in Nepal who knit their sweaters and apparel. We specify on the tip section that 100% of gratuities go to our team of over 800 local knitters, most of them women from the Kathmandu Valley where a little extra can have a big impact.  But where exactly did the tips go? Rather than just tell you that the tips went to our knitters, we wanted to show you! First, we asked.  When it was time to distribute tips, our owner Francis Dube contacted each of the groups of knitters we work with in Nepal, let them know we were about to transfer over some tips from our customers, and asked them how they thought would be the best way to share it with our workers.  #1 Lunch + Education Raffle One smaller group decided to invite the staff and knitters over for a lunch provided by Lost Horizons with traditional foods just before the Holiday of Dashain.  The group also distributed money by doing an education raffle amongst ladies that had kids going to school.  #2 Team Building + Staff Raffle The larger group had a special team building event just before the Holidays, so they decided to do a raffle amongst the whole staff and knitters, as well as use some of the tips for food. You can see photos of the event and a few of the lucky winners below.    More than the money.  American and Canadian dollars go a long way in Nepal, and our team members were extremely appreciative of the extra funds they received.  However it wasn't just the money they were excited about.  It's one thing to be proud of your work and be paid fairly for it, but it's a whole different thing when a random shopper on our website is willing to say thank you to a knitter they've never met before 10 time zones away! To our surprise, our knitter tips program created a connection between our knitters and customers that none of the workers had experienced before. The fact that people appreciated their work so much that they were willing to donate more than what was asked of them in terms of money, was a gesture they did not expect. Thank you for your tips. Given the impact of our Knitter Tips program over the past two years, we plan on continuing to invite our customers to tip at checkout for the foreseeable future, and also continue matching these tips!  Thank you for your generous contributions, which greatly impact the lives of our team members in Nepal. 

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Introducing the Lost Horizons 2022 Collection

Introducing the Lost Horizons 2022 Collection

It’s that time of year once again, and we’re thrilled to announce Lost Horizons’ latest collection of sweaters and hand-knitted accessories is officially here! View the new collection here. This season, we’re proud to present more than 20 new designs and fresh colorways for women and men. Characterized by deep natural hues and complex patterns, this collection references Native American wool blankets and Turkish kilim rugs, and draws inspiration from the landscapes of the American West. We’ve also called on some familiar motifs you’ve come to know and love from Lost Horizons, including Fair Isle knit patterning and florals inspired by Eastern European folk art and embroidery. “This year I am especially excited by all shades of natural gray, charcoal and ecru accented with plums, coral, teal, jade and berry pinks and Adriatic blues,” Lost Horizons Designer, Julie Powell, says of this year’s colorways. As always, this range has been hand-crafted in Nepal and spotlights the artisanal skills of our talented knitting team. You’ll find specialized knitting techniques such as intarsia and fine hand-embroidery across the collection, plus a use of bobbles and three-dimensional stitches for texture and body. Other designs in the range are more subtle, such as the Akari and Midori accessories that both use Japanese Sashiko-style embroidery in dual tones, the Everly with its colored cables, and the crochet-adorned Celine. “It’s hard to pick a favorite, but I love the men’s Mateo Sweater because of its rich color palettes and authentic geometrics,” Julie says. “I also love the women’s Willow Accessories because of their gorgeous hand-knit cabling.” What is your favorite item from the new collection? We’d love to hear your feedback! Shop the latest Lost Horizons collection here.

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Meet the Retailer: Villages Calgary

Meet the Retailer: Villages Calgary

Founded as a place for producers from marginalized communities around the globe to offer their wares to Canadian shoppers, Villages Calgary is one of the longest-running and most esteemed fair trade retailers in the country. The store’s history goes all the way back to 1984, when founder Erna Klippenstein offered up her family’s two-story tool shop on Crowchild Trail to start trading artisan goods. Today, the shop has a new name, but the ethos and mission is much the same as the day it all started – as is the location inside the Klippenstein’s old store. As a valued Laundromat (Lost Horizons) retailer, Villages Calgary plays an essential role in creating sustainable employment opportunities for our artisan partners in Nepal. In October 2020, they joined us as a fully verified member of the Fair Trade Federation! We spoke to Villages Calgary Manager, Laura Drapeau, about what it’s like to run a retail business in 2020, and why fair trade is more important than ever. What is the philosophy behind Villages Calgary? At Villages Calgary, we believe that every producer should be able to have a sustainable livelihood and be treated with respect and dignity. Our role in that is to provide a market where producers can sell their fair trade goods to customers in Canada. As a not-for-profit, we are able to ensure a sustainable trade relationship with the producer groups that we work with and can share their stories with our customers. How did you first get involved with fair trade, and why is it so important to you? When the first group of volunteers founded our store in 1984, we were established with fair trade values at our root. Fair trade is important to us because it means that everyone involved in our supply chain is able to have access to food, clean water, shelter, income, education, medical aid and much more! Do you think the events of 2020 have changed consumers’ attitudes towards fair trade? We have spoken with several customers who have expressed how they have realized the importance of fair trade and shopping local in light of recent events. The importance of community and working together has really been highlighted during the pandemic. Locally, we are seeing hardship, which can lead us to feel empathy with marginalized communities who are experiencing similar hardships. Could you highlight a couple of items or any trends that are popular with your customers right now? Our Annual Rug Event was a huge success this year and we noticed similar patterns with some of our customers. Many had travel plans that have been cancelled and were looking for something exciting to make the winter feel less bleak. People are also spending more time in their homes this year than is typical. A new rug, tablecloth, basket, mittens or accessory is a great way to spruce things up. We are also seeing people begin their holiday shopping early so they can avoid going at the busier times of year! What motivates you to stock Laundromat? Do you have a favorite item in the collection? We love that the items are all hand-knit by artisans in Nepal, and knowing that the producers can carve out a livelihood for themselves in a community where jobs are scarce is great motivation. The fact that these items are also beautiful and well-made means they are popular among our customers and we’re able to sell even more of them. Our team at Villages Calgary loves the glittens! They are warm, stylish and allow for texting during the cold winter months.   Shop Laundromat on the Villages Calgary website or in store at 220 Crowchild Trail NW, Calgary. For more, follow Villages Calgary on Facebook.

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