ShopHaven Chats With Eko Bear

Jun 15, 2011 by Natasha

Meet Linda, from Eko Bear.

We met last December when we both participated in the Shopping and Sweets event. I stopped by her booth to see what products she was selling and got talking to her about parenting and the constant worry of having harmful substances in childrens’ toys that often result in recalls.

I’ve recently met up with Linda for some coffee and to learn more about Eko Bear, the eco friendly on-line toy store.

ShopHaven (SH):  Where did the idea of Eko Bear come from?
Linda (L): In my day to day life, I was trying to be more environmentally conscious. When my son was about 2, I couldn’t help but notice that all the toys I was picking up after a day of play were plastic. Then a few months later, when shopping for my 3 year old and his friend, I wanted to make an effort to be more eco-conscious with my gift giving. At the time, I found there wasn’t much choice, if any. When I did find options that were labelled eco-friendly, I didn’t understand how it was eco-friendly. I realized I didn’t want to buy it based on the labelling. I went home, did some online research, realized that most online stores were in the States and most didn’t explain what made the toy eco-friendly. When I found something I wanted, I couldn’t find it online in Canada and with a newborn and a toddler at home, I didn’t feel like scouting out all the local toy stores. I figured I couldn’t be the only mom with little time on my hands who also wanted to be more eco-conscious and so Eko Bear was born.

SH:  What types of product do you sell in your store?
L: Eco-friendly toys for young children. Every one has a different meaning of eco-friendly. When it comes to a wood toy, I chose those made with FSC approved wood, rubberwood, bamboo or sustainable forests. When it’s fabric, the toys are made from natural and organic materials. As for the colour on the toy, it has to be non-toxic earth friendly/natural paints, dyes, inks. When it comes to other materials, then they are made from recycled materials, like “Green Toys” made from recycled milk jugs and Cate and Levi made from reclaimed wool sweaters. All have to be BPA, phthalates and PVC free.

SH: How do you select the products for your store?
L: I like to choose greener alternatives to your classic toys.  I try and select the ones that are innovative and the ones with our children and the environment in mind. I carry toys that I think my kids would like. I ask my son (now 4 1/2) what he likes from the catalogue, and see what family and friends like as toys for their children. I also try to keep the selection affordable.

SH: What is the hottest eco-friendly toy on the market?
L: It’s hard to pick just one.  The hottest toys right now are the Sprig Toys, Green Toys, Clementine Art and Piggy Paint Natural Nail Polish.

 

 

 

SH: You have a great program called “Refer-A-Friend”, how do you take part in the program?
L:  It’s really easy. If you don’t already have an account with Eko Bear, you can easily create one and no purchase is necessary. Once you are logged in, there’s a referral page that has your personal referral code. You can share it with the tools provided for Facebook, Twitter, email and more and more. When the referral code is entered during the checkout process either manually or by following the link provided, they will receive a 10% discount on their order and you will receive a 5% in store credit in your account. For example, if they place an order with a subtotal of $100, they save $10 on their order and you get $5 applied to your account as a store credit. The store credit can be used to purchase any Eko Bear products and will be applied to your next order.

SH: Do you have any local pick-up locations?
L: Yes, Sippy Cup Cafe is one of them. The other is “The UPS Store” in Kanata Centrum