Calgary

Lifestyle

KRICKETS

Opened in February 2004, after having had a nine year existence in Lethbridge, Krickets has taken Calgary on, with an excellent response by one and all for its seriously irreverent approach to life while maintaining committed to the lifestyle of choice, respect and ethics, as practiced by its owners. Krickets is a fabulous store of accessories, jewelry, books, giftware and sundry items; the messages here are plenty and at once humorous as well as thought provoking for those so inclined, and just plain fun and fashionable for those who would prefer to gloss over such things.

Krickets has a subtle way of wearing its beliefs on its sleeves, selling vegetarianism and vegan accessories without advertising them as such; people in the know already are aware of the mission statement of one of the most popular lines they carry, Matt & Nat, and their commitment to selling strictly vegan accessories and products. Other lines that Krickets sells reflect this, not necessarily as their only products, but as the only products of theirs they do sell here. Cabrelli is one such company that produces items that are non-cruelty in origin as well as leather ones. Krickets sells only the cruelty free range however. They also sell Gaya Fashions as well as Espe, another company dedicated to manufacturing cruelty free items, with their wallets and purses and things; amazing and fun that they are. There is a large selection of funky hats and scarves as well, in all shapes and sizes, for all occasions. For the parents out there, there is an entire section dedicated to the more, ahem, astute of babies and infants, those who have something to say, and aren’t afraid to say it!

Krickets is about providing wares that reflect the ownership while also being accessible to the typical shopper, about being fun with a conscience. This is reflected by the series of mints and fridge magnets, the Crazy Cat Lady Action Figures, as well as the Jesus or Pirate Bandaids.

Picture frames and a variety of candles are located along one wall and are situated throughout the store, as are journals, napkins with an ‘edge’, and so much more. One of my favourite items there, being a long time adherent of irreverence, is a book dedicated to revisiting signage found within society’s borders, pasting or substituting a key word to give the sign a completely new, and yet appropriate meaning. Ah yes-word theatre thrives in Krickets!

The store is owned and operated by vegetarians-Perish the thought!-who live their lives in as ethical a fashion as possible. When they received an order they’d placed for some fashion accessories, for example, they discovered to their horror that the items in question were roughly 10% comprised of wool. Commitments being as they are, they decided to donate moneys earned from the sale of these items to charities and organisations of conscience, being members of some themselves.

Krickets has proven that one can walk the walk without necessarily talking it even, by virtue of living their beliefs and letting that guide their approach towards the establishment and conducting of business ventures. Kudos to them their initiatives.

MYSTIC ELEMENTS NATUAL SOAP & SKIN CARE LINE

Mystic Elements is more than being ‘merely’ another line of natural personal hygiene products; it being the culmination of many years of Julia McCoy’s life of learning and treating and teaching in the traditions of holistic therapies and disciplines, all brought together into a line of products that both combine and reflect the holistic approach to the well-being of the body and the spirit.

Julia has long been engaged in offering holistic therapy to clients, such as Reflexology, while also teaching disciplines such as Reiki, Aromatherapy Raindrop Massage, Sound Therapy, Ear Candling as well as Kathara Energy Healing at the Wild Rose College. Over time these disciplines would become influential in her eventual decision to pursue the idea of creating pure soap and skin care lines, though it took a personal situation to put the idea into action.

Having a child, one always aspires to give them the quality of life through proper diet, lifestyle options and more; when it isn’t enough to simply do so due to other issues, the need to maintain the quality becomes all important, and thus, the seed that eventually came to blossom as Mystic Elements came to be. The love of Julia’s child became the catalyst for Mystic Elements and, Julia’s background was such that pursuing the creation of natural, 100% vegetarian cleansing and skin care products seemed to be the obvious solution to ensuring that her child be exposed to the finest of products.

To further distinguish her line from other ones on the market Julia used her skills and knowledge in Sound Therapy to infuse Tunnel Vibration into her products line as well. All of the ingredients are sourced from wild and organic botanicals along with other natural compounds such as sea salts and beeswax, along with pure essential oils and clays, as in the case of the clay mud masks she makes.

There is a selection of soaps available, blends based upon the influences of the elements such as Air-signifying balance, Earth-grounded, Fire-strength, and Water-peace, as well as single scented soaps such as Basil, Birch, Ginger, Lavender, Orange, Lemongrass, Tea Tree, Peppermint and Rosewood.

That is but a start however, since she creates as well, an entire range of products including Massage Oils, Facial Misters, Linen Sprays as well as Natural Insect Repellents and her Clay Masks, used to bring the glow back to one’s skin while helping to reduce the appearance of large pores. Julia’s work as a healer has resulted in the production of Ear Candles; they come in four different scents, Original, Peppermint, Lavender and Tea Tree, and are used to relieve migraines, sinus congestion, hearing loss and other forms of headaches.

Her latest lines are in perfumes, both the oil based natural scented style and the Balm perfumes that come as a solid, and a series of Foot Baths formulated around herbal teas.

Julia remains committed to maintaining the integrity of her products and has not yet gone towards selling her lines through retail outlets though a number of them have expressed interest, preferring in the interim to selling via word of mouth, through her classes and over the internet. She is in the process of setting up her website; in the meantime people simply email her for product information and selection, as well as to order. The other way to buy her line is through Nourish Bistro in Banff.

She continues to offer holistic therapy on a per visit basis rather than through a clinic, as well as maintaining her teaching schedule at the Wild Rose College. It is anticipated that the Mystic Elements Website will be fully operational prior to the publication of this book, so people are encouraged to email Julia for information, the website address, etc.

THE SPECIALTY GOURMET MEAL DELIVERY SERVICE

Founded in 2002, and opening a branch in Calgary in 2006, Specialty Gourmet is a company that is dedicated to providing healthy meals to Calgarians in the form of an ongoing dietary regimen, geared towards people who don’t often have the time or even the awareness to do so themselves. While it is not strictly vegetarian in its focus, they do provide vegetarian choices for those who sign up, either for the Zone Plan, developed along the Zone Diet guidelines, or the Healthy Living Program, based on the Canada Food Guide.

Both of these plans, at least here in Calgary, are of the Premium level, which allows for greater flexibility in one’s choices, both in number of meals per week and food options. What Specialty Gourmet does is make and deliver meals to people living in Calgary and surrounding areas for a certain price and timeline, ordered at a minimum of ten days in 5, 6 or 7 day/week increments. With the premium plan however, one can order meals for as few as one day per week, over the course of ten weeks, right up to and including seven days/week. This is designed to accommodate each client’s specific lifestyle and needs. As well, while there is guaranteed a vegetarian option per four meal choices offered, the premium plan allows for one to request that specific items be removed from the base of ingredients, be it due to allergies or under the phrasing, “don’t likes”, for vegans, those who do not eat egg or dairy, etc.

For those who want to lose weight or delve further into a program that accents the diet with other healthy lifestyle options, Specialty Gourmet does offer Fitness and Nutrition Packages as well, with information available again by visiting the website, in four week/28 day increments.

Currently, the foods are catered by the Delta Calgary Airport and are prepared after consultation is made with the client, as to dietary requirements (ie vegetarian or vegan). Sample menus are available by visiting the website, and more information is available by contacting the toll free number or by emailing the customer service address.