Random Access

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.

P.S. Away on vacation next week. Back in this space Sept. 25.