Dare to go bare with package-free goods

Article written by Fleur Boomsma

Pop up shop at the Evergreen Brickworks // Photo provided by Dayna Stein

Waste: also known as material that is not wanted. We try to be cautious by recycling our plastic, but we can’t help but wonder where our empty bottles end up at. Let’s be realistic here, recycling alone will likely never be enough to make up for the garbage we produce.

Want a solution? Soon you’ll be able to reuse your empty bottles and refill your desired product at bare market (hey reader! The store goes by ‘bare market’ stylistically, hence why you won’t see any capitalization).

Ready to stock up on your upcoming fall and winter necessities? Before the location opens you are able to purchase at their warehouse or order online! // Image by Dayna Stein

bare market is an independently owned store that sells refillable, package-free home and body care products in order “to make sustainable and ethical living easy and accessible for everyone”. Since they sell their products in bulk, you can get your products 20-45% on discount compared to the same brand in another store.

Dayna Stein, owner of bare market, was looking for ways to actually live her values instead of just preaching about the environment. She wanted to use her purchasing power to do something about reducing waste.

You may have heard of bare market via their pop-ups throughout the city at local farmer’s markets, Patagonia stores or even their fascinating media hype on Instagram, it’s clear that they are making a big and positive impact on Toronto’s community.

Stein is opening a bricks & mourner location in Toronto’s East End since this area contains more of “Mom and Pop shops rather than big retail chains, plus, this is a young, fun, and hip community.”

“This whole time we knew we wanted a permanent location because we want to create behavioural change,” Stein says. “I felt like if we had a space where people can create community and learn about these issues, have a fun experience, and have a sexy looking store that’s Instagrammable, they would actually come back to participate in this movement of reducing waste.”

Stein officially has the design plans and started construction to her upcoming store located at Coxwell & Danforth // Image provided by Dayna Stein

You won’t just be walking in a regular store that sells package-free goods. Prepare yourself for a bare market that’s not only filled with body and home care products, but also a café that’s integrated into the space.

The process is simple: follow these easy steps to purchase your package-free goods! // Fleur Boomsma

In addition to reducing waste, the refill products are also high-quality goods; better quality than the average drugstore products! Bare market gets their products reviewed and approved by a third-party cosmetics chemist. The chemist is able to tell bare market the environmental, social economic, and health impacts of all ingredients. Stein says that after this process they decide if they want to move forward with conversations with their suppliers.

You can expect bare market to open this “Decembruary,” (Dayna’s cute term!) which is any time after December to early January. Stay in touch with bare market via Instagram to see their latest news on their products, construction updates and the official launch of their permanent location @baremrkt.