march / april 2013

A window into the world of Roots Issue 111 • Spring 2013

THE MAKING OF A HIT

Why sweatpants, a longtime Roots staple, are enjoying such a strong resurgence

Mar

lee

Mac

Lean

Roots employee Marina Correia photographed at the head office in Toronto

2 • The Source Issue 111 • March - April 2013

SPECIAL DELIVERYA selection of recent letters from the world of Roots

EXPRESS YOURSELFWe invite you to send us your letters and/or your most creative photos or

illustrations for publication in The Source.

Please send your submissions to [email protected]

A REAL TREATJust wanted to let you know that I received the most wonderful service from your store in Wind-sor, Ontario. The assistance I got was marvelous – what a treat! The store did not have the size I needed so the staff checked the computer and advised me that it could be shipped directly to my home, arriving within 4-6 work-ing days.

In the end, I received my parcel within 24 hours! It was shipped from Cambridge, On-tario with a lovely handwritten note thanking me for shopping at Roots. My son in Colorado, now an American citizen, certainly knows where his “roots” are. He’s been wearing Roots prod-ucts for a minimum of 15 years. He’ll be happy with his Cooper Zip Polo!Jean SmithWindsor, Ontario

THE RIGHT PURSEA few weeks ago, I shopped hurriedly at your Roots Lodge store in Toronto where I bought a new purse. Almost as soon as I got home, I realized I’d made a mistake. Although beautiful, the purse was too bright and big for me. It just wasn’t the right purse.

I dithered over a couple of weeks, trying to learn to love my new purse, but finally returned to the store with my (completely unused) purse and met Janet Bram, Manager of the store. She explained to me the features of the purse, pointed out its advan-tages, but once she realized I truly wanted something differ-ent, she gave me an overview of

other purses, helped me select another one and ensured it was exactly what I wanted. Janet was extremely knowledgeable about Roots products and policies. She was professional but warm and gave me all the time I needed to make a decision.

I left completely satisfied with a purse I love and continue to use. Thank you Janet and Roots. I’ll be back there to shop again. Marianne CookeToronto

GOOD MEMORIESMy mom, Ermine Drummond, worked at the Roots factory as a machine operator stitching shoes from 1974-1980. She says she was treated very well by her supervisor Henry [Kowalews-ki]. When it was really hot one of the owners, Michael [Bud-man], would buy the workers ice cream. They would also give the workers turkeys during the holidays.

My mom went to night school while working there and upgraded her education. She went on to do nursing at St. Michael’s Hospital. When she left Roots, Henry told her if she didn’t like nursing, there would always be a job for her at Roots. She is now a snowbird living in Florida half the year.

Like many immigrants from the Caribbean at the time, my mom came to Canada first and brought her kids later. When I arrived in 1976, Roots was part of my introduction to Canada. I remember the Roots Christmas party and I’m pretty sure they

had a Santa there for kids. I also remember getting a stuffed Roots beaver as a present. I always looked forward to that.Dwight Drummond CBC News, Toronto

FOR THE CHILDRENOn behalf of SickKids Founda-tion, I’d like to thank Roots for the generous donation for our silent auction. We are grateful to Roots for supporting the 20th Anniversary Tails Celebration event committee in its fundrais-ing efforts.

The support that SickKids receives from its community is integral to achieving the world-leadership role to which we aspire. Thanks to philanthropi-cally inclined individuals and companies, SickKids has the tools and resources to conduct ground-breaking health re-search, educate the scientists and healthcare leaders of tomorrow, and provide our patients with the best care the world has to offer.

You understand the impor-tance of making our children’s health a priority and you believe in the transformational power of philanthropy. Because you believe, countless sick children will not only feel better – they will get better too. Paula MenzesSickKids Foundation, Toronto

Ilich

Mej

ia

DEJA VU

GREAT MOMENTS IN RETAIL

GREEN TIP

GUESS WHO JUST DROPPED IN

HEALTH TIP

NEW & NOTEWORTHY

SPEAK TO MY AGENT

STARTING LINE UP

HARVEY’S HEROESRoots designs custom jackets for the Steve Harvey show

ROOTS IN THE KITCHEN Cooking up a partnership with newly launched company

LEAVING A FOOTPRINTFinance Minister buys Roots shoes during major media event

ON THE RETAIL FRONT Roots continues to open new stores across the country

ADDING TO THE ROSTERDesigning a collection for 60 years of Hockey Night in Canada

MAKE IT YOUR OWNCustomers personalize their own bags at store event in Toronto

COLOUR BLOCKINGNew line of purses sparks tribute to famous artist Piet Mondrian

TAKING INITIATIVERoots staff member shares her story of volunteering in Rwanda

DEPARTMENTS

1 1 1I S S U E

PublishersMICHAEL BUDMAN, DON GREEN

EditorROBERT SARNER

Interns MARIELLE CONSTANDSE

CORINNE IMPEYBLAIR OSTROMLINDSAY SYKES

The Source is published by Roots Canada Ltd. We welcome letters from readers for publication. Please address all correspondence to The Source, Letters to the Editor, Roots Canada, 1400 Castlefield Ave., Toronto, Ontario, M6B 4C4 or by email to [email protected]. Letters may be edited for length and clarity. Each issue of The Source is also available as a pdf at http://issuu.com/

Issue 111 • March - April 2013 The Source • 3

BOTTOMS UPAs sweatpants take the world by storm, Roots has a major hit on its hands. By CORINNE IMPEY

Continued on next page

From the runways of New York City’s Fashion Week to the streets of Toronto, sweatpants are all over

the style scene this spring. Dubbed this season’s “what

to wear now” item in maga-zines such as Flare and GQ, sweatpants are enjoying a major resurgence. From celebrities like Grammy-Award winning superstar singer Rihanna seen in a Roots full Salt and Pepper sweatsuit to everyday col-lege students, it seems almost everyone is stepping out in their sweats.

Since 1979, Roots has pro-duced a line of sweatpants for both men and women, and this spring is no different. What is new this year is how sweats are flying off the shelves.

“Over the years, we’ve seen many cycles with sweatpants and sweatshirts at Roots, includ-ing a major fad in the 1980s with sweatshirts, but this current wave of popularity is really special,” says Roots Co-Founder Don Green, who explains that sweatpants are not only versatile but also reflect a certain attitude. “Sweatpants represent the most comfortable way of living and dressing. They reflect a very ca-sual and unpretentious attitude. Wearing sweatpants, you’re al-lowed to be yourself, no facade or pretension needed. They are so functional because they work in many climates and activities day and night. They’re great for working out or being on the computer, from ‘couchpotato-ing’ to sitting around a campfire or canoe tripping. I think the current popularity of sweatpants is also a reaction to the tight lycra yoga pants. Sweatpants are

really the antithesis of the yoga pant.”

Sweatpants have become a near-global piece of apparel. In Britain, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, they are better known as tracksuit bottoms, jogging bottoms, fat pants or track pants. Regardless of what they’re called, they’ve taken on more cachet of late.

“Classic sweatpants are mak-ing a return as fashion designers and vintage aficionados alike are looking for inspiration in the working man’s pant,” Travis Robinson recently wrote in The Meliorist, the University of Lethbridge’s student newspa-per. “Once reserved for lawn mowing and televised wrestling watching, sweatpants are now a highly sought-after com-modity in men’s and women’s wear alike… The newfound

popularity of sweatpants can be attributed to a rebellious shun-ning of the skinny jeans of the past decade among youth, along with the value modern society places on comfort. Sweats are a most comfortable pant indeed, and can be worn as both lounge-wear and in the office comfort-ably. The suit is a cumbersome and uncomfortable costume of plutocracy; the sweatpants are symbolic of our more liberal political climate both at home and in the boardroom… The flexible waistband of sweats can accommodate most waist sizes, so having to buy new pants after your gym routine wanes is no longer important. The most fashionable of wearers rock their sweats with designer boots and heels, in order to accentuate both their sartorial knowledge and their value of comfort.”

Reflecting on the history of sweats at Roots, Co-Founder Michael Budman thinks back to his canoe instructor days Camp Tamakwa in Algonquin Park, and the comfort his sweats brought. He says that in today’s contemporary reality, people are looking to bring more ease into their daily lives.

“So much of the time we feel uncomfortable,” says Michael. “Sweats bring comfort into our lives and help us slow down. They’re like comfort food.”

Linked to the ever-popular tracksuit, sweatpants date back to the two-piece outfit worm by athletes during the 20th century. According to many fashion blogs such as A Chic Direc-tion and Fashion-Era, exercise wear became fashionable in the 1970s and 1980s when the tracksuit moved from the gym to the home. During this time, women in particular embraced it as casual attire and sweatpants followed suite shortly after. While still loved by athletes today, sweatpants remain part of mainstream casual clothing.

Syd Beder, Senior Direc-tor of Merchandise at Roots, oversees the graphic, technical, sourcing, design and planning of Roots merchandise, includ-ing sweatpants. Passionate about creating great products for Roots, Syd says most recently, the team began to see growing interest in sweats in 2012.

Based on feedback from customers and store staff, his team made small tweaks to the classic styles, including adding an interior coin pocket and de-veloping a colourful collection.

Singer Kelly Rowland (centre)

Pop star Rihanna (right)

Degrassi stars AJ Saudin and Luke Bilyk for Roots Actors Diane Kruger

and Joshua Jackson

Roots sweatpants tough it out in the wilderness


Continued from previous page

This year, as winter turned into spring, sales of these items and the ever-popular Salt and Pepper line (first introduced in 1979), continued to grow.

“Sweats pants are no lon-ger just to put on when you get home from work,” says Syd. “We are also seeing sweatpants work out on the streets.”

Jeanne Becker, veteran fashion journalist and host of Fashion Television agrees. “There’s something to be said about a well-fitting pair of sweatpants,” says Jeanne.

According to Jeanne, there is a sport and active style that is currently ubiquitous in fashion circles.

“There is definitely a trend towards the idea of moving through the world with ease,” says Jeanne. “That’s what we want. We love the high fashion and all its restrictions some-times, but there are moments in our lives when we want to get down and cozy.”

Roots designer Adrian Aitcheson says that today style is all about comfort.

“Comfort is king,” he says, suggesting that sweats are a great substitute for everyday denim.

In a recent online survey, the Huffington Post asked readers: Should you wear sweatpants outside the house? The possible answers were: Yes. They are comfortable, and that’s what

matters; or No. They are sloppy. The majority (64%) an-

swered the former while about a third answered the latter.

“People like to dress com-fortably and make it fashion-able,” says Alana Krenbrink, Roots resident stylist, explaining her take on the current sweatpant popularity.

And in Roots stores, sweats sales continue to be strong. Codi Sellers, Manager at the flag-ship store in Toronto, says many shoppers are on the hunt for the perfect pair of sweats.

“Over the past few months, our sweatpant sales went through the roof,” says Codi. “The design team really hit it out of the park when it came to developing great products that customers want and optimizing on the sweatpant trend.”

Among those coming to the store, Codi has seen a number of different sweatpant looks includ-ing the pre-teen “full matching track suit look”, the college stu-dent “classic comfy sweatpant look” and the young professional “fashion-forward look” that involves matching sweatpants with high top sneakers or boots, a fitted, feminine shirt, and a leather jacket.

Regardless of the style, says Codi, when people think of sweats, they think of Roots. Jeanne agrees.

“The trend is towards au-thenticity,” says Jeanne. “People want the real deal. That’s where

Roots comes in.”Jeanne offers a few fashion

tips to anyone looking to pull off the sweatpant look.

“If you’re wearing a baggier bottom, wear a more fitted top like a trim hoodie sweater or a cute T-shirt.”

She also says footwear is important to consider.

“Classically, they look good with sneakers, but you can also wear them with a wedge heel, or moccasins,” says Jeanne. “Just be conscious of the footwear you choose!”

Flare, a Canadian fashion magazine, published a series of looks titled What to Wear Now:

Super (Not Sloppy) Sweatpants earlier this spring with styles such as printed, slouchy and cropped sweats.

For men, magazines like GQ and Esquire provide tips for a public-appropriate sweatpant look such as pairing sweatpants with blazers, button-up shirts or suede jackets. The key take-away? Find a slimmer, tailored style that fits well and can be dressed up.

According to the GQ Now Trending report, not only do sweatpants give gym and weekend loungewear looks an extra kick of style, but men can put a street spin on them with sneakers and a button-down, or oxfords and sweater combo.

As shoppers build their desired sweatpant look, Roots keeps looking ahead to the future of the sweatpant line, and the future looks bright.

In a recent focus group of Roots Store Managers that included a sneak preview of the upcoming Fall 2013 Athletic sweat collections, Syd says the reaction to the new line was very positive, with one manager remarking: “This will be an epic year for Roots Sweats!”

And while he won’t give away any secrets, Syd certainly agrees.

“As we celebrate the 40th an-niversary of Roots this year, you can rest assured there will be many more surprises ‘in store’ as we make this a sweat year to remember.”

“There’s something to be said about a well-fitting pair of sweats.”

“If you’re wearing a baggier bottom, wear a more fitted top.”“Comfort is king.”

Classic Salt and Pepper sweatpants with coloured logo


HELPING LOCAL HEROES SHINENBC turns to Roots to honour extraordinary people on the Steve Harvey show

BODIES IN MOTIONToronto flagship store offers weekly hip-hop dance class for shoppers

Over an eight-week period in February and March, a group of dancers could be

found popping, locking and glid-ing every Tuesday evening at the Roots flagship store on Toronto’s Bloor Street as part of its weekly hip-hop dance class.

Open to the public for $10 from 8 p.m. – 9 p.m., the classes offered Roots shoppers a chance

to improve their dance skills. Kelly Gammie, 25, and

Lindsay Tremmel, 24, led the classes on the store’s upper level. Both dancers are part of DEUCEnDIP, an all-girls hip-hop dance crew from Toronto.

“We got involved in this be-cause we wanted to share what we do with anyone who wanted to learn,” said Kelly before leading a group of 10 dancers in a warm up and choreographed routine.

DEUCEnDIP formed over a year ago. Since then, they have performed at weddings, charity events and dance competitions like NML Battlez: Dance Crew, a televised dance competition on MuchMusic.

Kelly describes DEUCEn-DIP’s dance style as hip-hop made up of powerful movement choices with a feminine edge.

The crew first got involved with Roots last fall when they participated in a flash mob at the Bloor St. store when more than 60 dancers surprised shoppers with a choreographed dance on a Saturday afternoon.

MAKING THE RIGHT MOVES

An animated group of hip-hop dancers from the Ryerson

Dance Pak and FEDS Crew performed at a student event at the Roots flagship store in Toronto in late February. With DJ PB Louie pumping music throughout the store, students from York Univer-sity, Ryerson University and the University of Toronto enjoyed re-freshments and received a discount

Student hip-hop performance at Toronto storeoff all purchases between 1 p.m. and 5 p.m.

Daniela Santibanez, Assistant Manager, and Khaleel Washing-ton, Sales Associate, organized the afternoon. They hope to hold another student discount event later this spring. Roots hosts a number of similar initiatives at the store throughout the year to honour vari-ous groups.

Anne Goad, 23, Event Facil-itator at the Bloor St. store who organized the one-hour sessions, desribes the space as perfect for hosting dance classes.

“We wanted an opportunity to host young artists and pro-vide shoppers with a fun way to get involved with Roots,” says Anne.

Every so often, Roots has an opportunity to go above and beyond to meet the

needs of customers. Recently, when an urgent request came through from NBC television in Chicago, the team had the chance to step up and deliver.

Courtney Jackson, Integra-tions Associate Producer for Steve Harvey, a one-hour day-time show hosted by Steve Har-vey, contacted Robert Sarner, Director of Communication and Public Affairs, with a special order: one custom-made Roots Varsity Jacket. The catch? It had to be delivered to her Chicago studio in three days.

The jacket was to be given to an outstanding individual during the show’s taping as part of a segment called Harvey’s Heroes. Since last November, the seg-ment has honoured people who have made a positive difference in the world. Whether saving

a life, showing courage in a difficult situation, or demonstrat-ing strong humanitarian values, Harvey’s Heroes are celebrated each week and, as of this past January, given a custom Roots Varsity Jacket on air directly from host Steve Harvey.

From head office to the fac-tory, Toronto team members in-cluding Ed Cox, Leather Coor-dinator, and Patricia MacInnis, Business-to-Business Manager,

had the initial jacket designed, produced and delivered to Chi-cago with lightning speed. The first Harvey’s Heroes custom jacket was given to Cheryl Jackson, who founded a food pantry that provides, healthy, nu-tritious food to residents in need in Collin County, Texas.

Don Halcombe, a spokes-person for Steve Harvey, says the jackets, which are presented during the show, help honour

and celebrate extraordinary people like Cheryl.

“We wanted to recognize Harvey’s Heroes with something special that they could proudly wear,” says Don. “It serves as a way for the recipient to have something to take home and remember that they are noticed for the great things they do.”

To date, the show has given out ten jackets and counting. Steve Harvey is hosted by TV personality, comedian, radio show host and best-selling author of the same name. The show explores a number of topics such as marriage, dating, finance, parenting, workplace issues, friendships and more.

The show debuted in Sep-tember 2012 and is produced at the NBC studios in Chicago. It airs right before The Ellen DeGeneres Show on NBC and currently averages 1.9 million viewers daily.

Show host Steve Harvey and some of Harvey’s Heroes with their new Roots jackets

Dance class members practicing at Bloor Street store

DJ PB Louie, the Ryerson dance team and FEDS dance crew


ON A ROLL IN THE KITCHENNew company teams up with Roots to make life nicer for chefs

In early March, Roots teamed up with a newly launched company for a creative proj-

ect that brings a new sense of style and convenience to the tra-ditional uniform worn by chefs.

Tanya Kelly, founder of Blunt Roll, designed a multi-purpose apron that serves as a uniform as well as a chef’s go-to tool: the knife roll. Since chefs customarily bring their own knives into work, they carry a knife roll – a case that has indi-vidual slot holders for each knife and folds into a secure, travel-sized shell.

Each apron, or “blunt roll,” is handmade by Roots at its state-of-the-art factory in Toronto. The washable, easy-to-clean gar-ment is available in grey, navy or black denim and features Roots brown leather knife holders and an adjustable neck strap.

Tanya, a 41-year-old en-trepreneur with a passion for design, first had the idea for the company (and apron of the same name) last year. Growing up in Toronto, she began working in the restaurant industry when she was 16 and eventually opened her own restaurant, Silver Spoon, in 2001. After giving up her business and buying a farm where she grew and sold organic produce, she recently found herself back in Toronto with the opportunity for a career change.

Early on in her work, Tanya

was drawn to the skills and energy of chefs. Inspired by the many talented chefs she’s met over the years, she wanted to create a uniform that accommo-dated the tools of their trade and was easily transportable.

“I approached Roots because I grew up wearing their leather products,” says Tanya. “If I was going to make something, it had to have two things: the highest quality and be made in Canada. Roots has a perfect score in both

categories.”Retailing at $160 for the

standard apron or $195 for the personalized, embroidered ver-sion, the blunt roll is available on etsy.com and kloversales.com, a website that sells food service products. Talks are also underway with various restau-rant owners who wish to sell the product at their locations.

Tanya promotes Blunt Roll through her website (theblunt-roll.com), and by networking

BUILT-IN GOODNESS Bloor St. store hosts special evening for Volunteer Builders charity

at events such as the Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices As-sociation Show that took place in Toronto in early March.

Within the first couple of weeks since starting, Tanya had 18 aprons made and was already receiving orders for more. She is designing a blunt roll especially for an executive at the Food Net-work and she’s also had requests for full leather aprons for chefs and craft beer makers, as well as garden-inspired versions.

Tanya credits Diane Bald, Design Director at Roots, for recognizing Blunt Roll’s poten-tial.

“I thought it was a fantastic idea,” explains Diane. “[Roots Director of Leather Product Development and Design] Karl Kowalewski and I were able to help enhance a beautiful hand-crafted item by adding details to the leather that created an old world feel on a modern item.”

With the help of Roots, Tanya says she has been able to turn her passion project into a little company with a big dream.

“As long as Blunt Roll remains of the highest standard, with heart, and all the aprons are worn with pride, I’ll be happy,” says Tanya. “I believe chefs should be seen as they work. Watching them in the kitchen is part of the dining experience. That’s the whole idea behind this product.”

La Carnita sous chef Nathan Middleton, (left), and co-owner Andrew Richmond wear their new Blunt Roll aprons

As champions of outdoor education and community building, Volunteer Build-

ers are making a positive differ-ence one nail at a time.

With a mandate very much in sync with the core values of Roots, it was no surprise when the Bloor Street store in Toronto hosted an event in early March to celebrate the not-for-profit organization that designs and builds at least one structure a year for a worthy community-oriented cause. In the past, it has built outdoor education schools, camp offices, lodges and other building projects and upgrades.

Anne Goad, Event Facilita-

tor at the Bloor St. store, has volunteered with Volunteer Builders in the past and spear-headed the event.

“The people in this charity love outdoor education,” says Anne. “Their entire focus is to help camps continue to provide children an outdoor education experience.”

To honour the great work of Volunteer Builders, Roots hosted a shopping night complete with appetizers catered by The Firkin on King, cocktails sponsored by Appleton Estate and an in-store shopping discount.

As they shopped, the Volun-teer Builders were also enter-

tained by the acoustic sounds of live musician Mandippal, a Toronto-based singer/songwriter.

More than 65 people at-tended the special shopping evening hosted between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. upstairs at the Bloor St. store, with most taking ad-vantage of the special discount extended to them. In addition to in-store purchases, the Volun-teer Builders team also inquired about a wholesale order of Roots T-shirts for the volunteers who take part in their next build.

This year, Volunteer Builders will be building a structure at Ryde Lake Camp near Graven-hurst, Ontario from May 29 to June 2. · Volunteers can register online at www.volunteerbuilders.org.

Devon Thorne holds up his new Roots T-shirt


TEAM SPIRIT IN ACTIONStore manager in Guelph, Ontario brings her staff together at work and beyond

Striving for excellence in ev-erything they do, the Roots team in Guelph, Ontario,

100 km west of Toronto, has a work-hard-play-hard mentality. Their sense of spirit is a source of pride for Store Manager Jes-sica Eusebio who rewards them for their ongoing commitment to their job and efforts to get involved with the community outside Roots.

In late March, Jessica, who’s been a store manager since 2010, organized a staff trip to Shady Grove Farm near Guelph for all her associates. She saw it as a way for the staff to bond with one another outside work and have fun doing it.

“I just wanted a way to show my staff how much I value their hard work,” says Jessica. “Tak-ing my team on such an outing is my small token of appreciation and I hope they really had fun with it.”

The Guelph team takes plea-sure in organizing many commu-nity-related initiatives through-out the year. In early March, the store teamed up with GoodLife Fitness for a special day-long series of classes to help raise awareness and funds to promote an active lifestyle for kids.

The spin classes began in

early morning and carried on into the afternoon. The event was open to the public and store staff Mariah Zuber, Natalie Turnhout and Juli Giancotta signed up as a team and spun to raise money. The day also involved a raffle and silent auc-tion for which Roots donated products as prizes.

In addition to initiating vari-ous projects, the staff maintains

a strong team dynamic that helps them achieve their sales targets. Mariah, Active Athletics Coordinator, created an event to promote team building in an entertaining, fresh, new way.

In early February, the staff went retro, dressing up in ‘80s workout gear for a special evening that focused on product knowledge and feedback about the Roots Active Athletics line.

Staff gathered at the house of Darlene Alves, Assistant Store Manager, to discuss everyone’s opinion on the new Active Athletics products. They also brainstormed about different ways to give feedback on new Active Athletic products the store receives. After the meeting, they played a dance party game, Just Dance on Wii.

“The biggest things we learned during the meeting were about each other,” says Mariah. “We were all really open with one another when talking about the things going on in the store and what we wanted to see change.”

Based on the success of the evening, Mariah came up with a plan to do a fit session meeting every month.

“I thought it would be a cool idea every time new shipments of athletic stuff came in for the staff to get together to try on the outfits and be open with their feedback,” says Mariah. “Each fit party will have a different theme to keep it fun.”

With the staff welcoming future fit parties every month, they also agreed to go online and fill out reviews of the Active Athletics products to keep the feed back ongoing.

SHOWING HIS SOLE

(L to R) Jen Grimshaw, Mackenzie Lesperance, Mariah Zuber, Ana Maria Rajcan, Jessica Eusebio, Darlene Alves, Michael Capstick, Natalie Turnhout

Finance Minister’s visit to factory generates extensive media coverage for Roots

It’s not every day that the Roots factory in Toronto hosts a veritable media frenzy. That

was the scene in mid-March when more than 40 journal-ists converged on the facility to cover Finance Minister Jim Flaherty in connection with his much-anticipated federal budget. The event was part of an annual Canadian tradition dating back more than 50 years, according to which the Finance Minister buys new shoes on the eve of presenting the new budget in Parliament.

This year, to show govern-ment support for domestic manufacturing (also reflected in the budget), Mr. Flaherty chose to purchase a pair of shoes right where they’re made, in Canada. Roots fit the bill perfectly. As in

the past, the Finance Ministry invited the media to the event – and they came in mass.

Roots Co-Founder Michael Budman personally received Mr. Flaherty as he arrived by

taxi at the factory entrance. Shortly after, with reporters and cameramen in tow, the three Kowalewski brothers – Karl, Henry and Stan – who have been central to the making of

Roots leather goods since the company began, gave their distinguished guest a guided tour of the shoemaking facilities. Then, surrounded by the large media contingent, Michael sat down with Mr. Flaherty in Roots leather armchairs to present him with his pair of Roots black Oxford shoes (for which the Minister insisted on paying the full retail price of $158). While journalists peppered him with questions about the budget and the economy, Mr. Flaherty tried on the shoes, which had been customized in advance with the “Economic Action Plan 2013” logo printed on the side.

The next day in Ottawa, the longtime Finance Minister wore the shoes in Parliament as he presented the budget.

Finance Minister Jim Flaherty tries on his new Roots shoes at press event at the factory in Toronto


GETTING PUSHY FOR THE RIGHT REASON Store employee helps organize car push in support of charity

Every seven minutes, someone passes away from heart disease or a stroke in

Canada, representing the second and third leading causes of death in the country. Such a situa-tion keeps the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario busy and in need of support. While seeking a worthy cause to help, Roots sales associate Christian Temelkovski, 23, and his school fraternity decided to raise money for the foundation.

In early March, Christian and fellow brothers from his fraternity at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) held a charity car push for the foundation in Oshawa, 60 km east of Toronto. During the weekend event, the fraternity raised $7,500 in two days. The main attraction was the car push, which consisted of fraternity brothers pushing a donated car

across a course at the Oshawa Centre for 36 hours. The fra-ternity also put together activi-ties for children and adults that included face-paint stands, live entertainment, various draws and auctions.

Christian has been with

Roots since October 2011, work-ing at the Markham location, just north of Toronto, where he’s lived all his life. He appreciates the understanding and flexibility the store has shown in accom-modating his busy schedule. Not only does he present a strong

work ethic at school and with his fraternity, he brings that same attitude to his job.

“Christian is an amazing leader,” says Patricia Di Mar-tino, Store Manager. “He’s so positive and has such an uplift-ing personality. He really is such an asset to the team.”

This isn’t the first charity event Christian and the fraternity have organized. In addition to the Heart and Stroke Founda-tion, they’ve taken part in events such as Movember for prostate cancer, Relay for Life for the Canadian Cancer Society and the Durham Walk for AIDS research.

“We decided to create this specific event to raise aware-ness about the Heart and Stroke Foundation in our community,” says Christian. “We also want to contribute to the promotion of a healthy lifestyle.”

Members of the fraternity push a car with the help of a mascot

AN ALLURING PRESENCENew store openings increase Roots retail foothold in Canada

With the onset of spring, Roots made its already strong Canadian retail

presence felt even more with the opening of two new stores and the grand reopening of another.

In Montreal in mid-March, on the city’s storied Sherbrooke Street, Roots inaugurated its latest Quebec location in the Westmount neighbourhood. Featuring nearly 1,800 square feet in a building that dates back to 1920, it has a great street presence. The original tiled floor has been restored, and the furnishings have all been custom made in metal, reclaimed wood and Roots leather. Selling a full gamut of Roots original prod-ucts, the store is decorated with a selection of framed black and white photographs from differ-ent periods of the company’s history.

Way out west in the Van-couver suburb of Langley, the newest addition to the Roots 73 family opened its doors in late March as part of a new shopping complex called Langley Bypass. It features smaller departments within the store to showcase the

Men’s, Women’s, Kids, Toddler and Baby collections.

Patrick Davis, team lead on merchandising and display, expressed his satisfaction with the finished project.

“Each section is presented with clarity and provides an ease of shopping for the customer,” says Patrick. “The spring col-lection and concepts were all maximized and adjusted to fit

this store’s individual design and floor plan.”

Almost 10 years to the day since first opening a store at the St. Laurent Shopping Centre in Ottawa, Roots unveiled a new retail environment there in mid-March. Under the direction of Pauline Landriault, Senior Director of Visual Planning and Store Development, Roots com-pletely renovated the interior

with a new layout and inviting corner entrance.

In keeping with the com-pany’s environmentally respon-sible ethos, the store has been updated with reclaimed wood and recycled fixtures. The store features a new shoe and leather bag department, a Roots Origi-nals shop and a full assortment of men’s, women’s and kids’ merchandise.

The full selection of Roots products and beautifully restored tile floor at the Westmount store in Montreal

New shoe and leather section at St. Laurent store in Ottawa


A CUP OF JAVA WITH ROOTSTassimo shows its taste in style in ad campaign

You never know where you’ll see Roots next. Models for Tassimo

Canada wear Roots apparel in a recent ad for Tassimo’s single cup brewer that now makes Tim Hortons coffee.

Sue Kupka, Senior Manager of Retail Marketing, noticed the ad on Facebook when her friend commented on the image.

“This is the first time I’ve spotted one of our products, but I understand it has happened many times in the past,” says

Sue. “In this case, the cabin collection is so unique it’s easy to spot.”

In this Tassimo ad, the male model is wearing a Cabin Sweater and the woman is wear-ing a shirt from the Roots Active Athletics Collection.

Tassimo, who makes home brewing systems for coffee, tea and other hot beverages, ran the ad campaign during the winter after introducing its col-laboration with Tim Hortons last November.

HE SHOOTS, HE SCORESCBC asks Roots to create a special collection for Hockey Night in Canada’s 60th anniversary

To celebrate Hockey Night in Canada’s (HNIC) 60th anniversary, Roots is part-

nering with the CBC to create a special custom apparel collec-tion. Made up of men’s T-shirts, baseball caps and a full-zip hoodie, the collection com-memorates six decades of the venerable TV program.

“Roots is a casual athletic brand and celebrates sports of all kinds,” says Patricia MacInnis, Business-to-Business Manager, explaining why this collabora-tion is a great fit for Roots. “Hockey is especially close to home.”

The relationship between Roots and the CBC dates back to 2005 when the two compa-nies first began working togeth-er on custom merchandise.

The HNIC 60th anniversary collection will be available this spring online and in store at CBC shops.

In addition to the Roots an-niversary collection, HNIC has launched a special anniversary website and a number of initia-tives to mark the milestone.

According to the CBC, the show is the longest-running and most influential program in Canadian television history.

A vintage photo of Hockey Night in Canada hosts Don Cherry and Ron MacLean

MADE TO ORDERCustomized products prove popular with companies and organizations

Over the years, Roots has created a wide variety of customized orders for

scores of businesses and orga-nizations across the country and around the world. This spring, the Business-to-Business team is at it again with several interest-ing new initiatives.

* * * * *Custom leather bags are in the works for the Canadian telecom-munications company Telus. Roots is customizing the Raiders Messenger Bag with a debossed, or indented, Telus logo. The bags will be given to select Telus team members.

* * * * *Roots is also creating custom

Original Briefcases for the Toronto Police Association (TPA). Co-branded with the as-

sociation’s crest, the bags will be given to associates and execu-tives at an upcoming event. The

TPA is a non-profit organization dedicated “to protect those who protect others” and to promote the interests of its members through collective bargaining, labour contract administration, and health and safety promotion.

* * * * *Roots is also designing custom leather bi-fold passport hold-ers with a debossed logo for the Recording Artists’ Collecting Society as part of an upcoming ACTRA event. ACTRA, the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists, is a union of more than 22,000 professional performers working in English-language media in Canada including TV, film, radio and digital media.

Models wear Roots in Tassimo ad

Mockup of Toronto Police Association bag


A guide to just-launched Roots products

Ladies Granville, Brown, $195Oxford Stripe Scarf, Watermelon, $44Canvas Traveller, Midnight Blue, $88

Trinity Dress, Pomegranate Mix, $68Raleigh, Dk Cardigan Mix, $88Mod Graphic Tee, Acid, $24

Trinity Slouch Short, Charcoal Mix, $38Adrienne Pullover, Vintage Khaki, $58Trinity Cropped Sweatpant, Vintage Grey Mix, $50

NEW & NOTEWORTHY


Mens Contact, Black, $150Fleece Stretch Baseball, Washed Atlantic, $24Courier Bag Ranger, Tan, $238

Douglas Commuter Pant, Charcoal, $92Sporting Good T, Leaf Red Mix , $24Batten Shirt, Vintage Indigo, $50

Junction Crew, Medium Grey Mix, $24Dundas Pocket Sweatpant, Scout Khaki Pepper, $68Wreck Pullover, Moonbeam Mix, $58

A guide to just-launched Roots productsNEW & NOTEWORTHY


With the advent of warmer weather, most people wel-

come spring with open arms. It’s also the time of year for many to turn their attention to getting their homes in shape. Here are a few simple steps on how to stay healthy during the big spring cleanup. · With the warm breeze in the air, we tend to open our windows and breathe in the scent of the new season. Unfortunately, all winter inside our homes we inhaled air fresheners that contain chemicals linked to cancer. They’re used in about 75 percent of homes in the United States. Replace them with natural fresheners like baking soda or essential oils. · As part of the spring clean-up, dust and wipe down places you’d never think to clean such as your mattress. Mattresses are magnets for dust mites. Washing the mat-tress cover in hot water and wiping down the top of the mattress will go a long way toward reducing morn-ing stiffness. · When dusting around the house, use old wool clothing. Wool creates static when rubbed on a surface so you won’t have to use a chemical polish or spray. Another hazardous cleaner to avoid is the polish used to clean silverware. In-stead, dab on toothpaste with your fingers and rinse your silverware with warm water. · Household sponges may con-tain up to 320 million opportu-nistic bacterial pathogens, much of which can be transferred from the sponge to your eyes or mouth and make you sick. To avoid this, put your sponge in the microwave for 30 seconds a day to kill the bacteria.· Source: http://www.readersdi-gest.ca/health/healthy-living/12-tips-health-friendly-spring-cleaning?id=10

We invite you to send us your letters and/or your most creative photos or

illustrations for publication in The Source.

Please send them to [email protected]

EXPRESS YOURSELF

HAVE IT YOUR WAYCustomers add their personal style in customizing bags at Toronto event

In late March, Roots custom-ers went to The Lodge in Toronto for a special event to

incorporate their personal style into Roots bags, shoes and other select accessories, all of which are made at the company’s To-ronto factory.

Organized by the store and market-ing staff, the first-ever Design Your Own Bag initiative attracted about 40 people for an evening of re-freshments and do-it-yourself fashion. During the two-hour event, the usual

custom order fee was waived and people seized the opportu-nity to work with staff to design items for themselves and loved ones.

The initiative proved suc-cessful, with 15 custom orders placed. Assistant Store Manager Thuy Hoang says she thinks people reacted so positively because of the unique service of-fered and the price incentive.

“A lot of customers were surprised that we hosted an event like this where we waived the custom order fees,” says Thuy. “Being able to personalize their bags seemed to have an almost sentimental appeal for a lot of people. Both of those reasons are why it was such a hit.”

TO RUSSIA WITH LOVE… OF HOCKEYRoots creates specially designed jackets for Moscow team of puck legends

Hockey has always been closely associated with Roots but until now that

link has been largely limited to North America. It has included the company’s involvement with the National Hockey League (NHL) and support for Canada’s Olympic teams, to say nothing of the passion Roots Co-Found-ers Michael Budman and Don Green have for the game. This season, there’s a new foreign dimension to the Roots-hockey

connection that involves another hockey-crazy country.

At the request of the Russian Hockey Legends team in Mos-cow, Roots has created specially designed red and white Varsity jackets that the club will be giv-ing away as gifts to its players and close supporters.

Founded in 2005, Russian Hockey Legends is similar to the NHL’s long-established “old timers” teams made of former league players. Their Russian

HEALTH TIP

counterpart includes retired members of the country’s fabled national teams that have domi-nated many Olympic and other international tournament.

On the RHL roster are such former stars as Yuri Lyapkin and Alexander Yakushev, the latter having led his team in scoring during the historic 1972 Canada-USSR Summit Series. The RHL team often takes part in goodwill games in Russia and overseas to benefit charities.

Custom Russian Hockey Legends jacket

Personalized leather duffel bag

STAY HEALTHY BY SPRING CLEANING


Roots pays homage to legendary artist Piet Mondrian with new bag collectionART ATTACK

HELPING NEAR AND FARWith her big heart, Vancouver employee Nicole Ceralde steps up for others in need

Nicole Ceralde, 21, Sales Associate at the Granville Street Roots store in Van-

couver, is making a difference in her local and global communi-ties. Dedicated to volunteering both at home and abroad, Nicole lives the Roots value of giving back.

Last May, Nicole traveled to Rwanda for two months with Developing World Connections, a Canadian non-profit organiza-tion that offers people the oppor-tunity to help communities in the developing world through short-term volunteer experiences.

With a population of more than 11 million people, Rwanda is located in central-east Africa During her time in the country, Nicole lived in the small village of Gashora, located two hours south of Rwanda’s capital of Kigali.

With a team of volunteers, Nicole helped build a communi-ty centre for women. It provides them a space to learn new skills and make goods like woven baskets to sell at the local mar-ket. She also helped on a project called “kitchen gardens” which trains families on how to manage vegetable gardens and sustain healthy lifestyles by growing and consuming a variety of crops.

While she was in Rwanda, Nicole shared her love for Roots. Having worked with the com-pany since 2011, Nicole has an

extensive Roots wardrobe and took many T-shirts on her trip. During her stay, she gave many of her shirts to a boy named Odai and local women who play

on a soccer team in the village. Nicole says the best part of

her trip was spending time with Rwandan women and trying to learn the local language.

“There were lots of funny moments because many people didn’t speak English,” says Ni-cole. “Somehow we managed [to communicate] and were able to establish amazing relationships with everyone.”

It was Nicole’s first time in

Africa and she says the experi-ence was unforgettable.

“There’s so much life in Af-rica,” says Nicole. “I will never forget the colours, the scent of

Nicole Ceralde spends time with local children in Rwanda

Before the new Pop Art Leather Collection of bags hit shelves on April 1,

Roots put together some cre-ative, art-inspired previews.

Showcasing the yellow, black and white colour-blocked bags during a sneak peak party at the Toronto flagship store, the purses were displayed on tables decorated to evoke the distinc-tive style of famous painter Piet Mondrian.

Sticking with the Mondrian theme (and keeping with the current nail art trend), ads for the collection feature a woman holding one of the bags with her nails painted in a grid of black lines filled in with colours to match the purses.

Overview of the display at the sneak peak party

the soil, the taste of the food and smiles of beautiful kids I met.”

In addition to her internation-al volunteer work, Nicole also helps her local community. With the support of her family and friends, she organizes an annual Christmas drive to provide peo-ple in Vancouver’s downtown east side, an area known for pov-erty, drug abuse and crime, with care packages during the holiday season. Made up of food, warm

socks and basic hygiene items, the packages are delivered the day after Christmas.

“I think it’s important to get involved locally and globally,” says Nicole. “It helps bring you so much closer as a community.”

When she’s not volunteer-ing, Nicole is studying criminal justice at Langara College in Vancouver, planning her next adventure, or working at Roots.

Mirjana Vujovic, Manager of the Granville Street store, says Nicole is a valuable team member.

“She always has a big smile on her face,” says Mirjana. “She knows that working at Roots is so much more than being a salesperson.”

From Nicole’s perspec-tive, her team has always been supportive of her volunteering, providing her with a flexible schedule and lots of encourage-ment.

Looking ahead, Nicole plans to continue volunteering abroad in the coming years. She encour-ages other people to volunteer as well.

“Get involved locally first; you should always have a strong foundation,” says Nicole. “Go help out at a local community garden, after school clubs or even seniors homes. It’s a good way to learn how to be open-minded and adapt to different environments.”

Ad for the new Pop Art Leather Collection


COVERAGE OF ROOTS IN THE MEDIAHere are some recent sightings of Roots in newspapers, magazines and on TV and websites:

GREAT MOMENTS IN RETAILSpotlighting the top performing Roots stores based on their sales resultsShortly before this issue of The

Source went to press, we received the final sales figures for Roots stores in recent months. Tak-ing the top spot for sales in March was the William Street store in Ot-tawa, while the February spot went to the Markville store in Markham, Ontario (pictured).

As for the Roots 73/Outlet category, the Beacon Hill store in Calgary claimed the top spot in March, with the Avalon Mall store in St. John’s, Newfoundland winning the February spot.

Congratulations to Cory McGown, acting Manager of the William Street store; Paola Rios, Manager of the Markville store; Stephanie Reid, Manager of the Beacon Hill store; Alice Francis, Manager of the Avalon store; and to their respective teams for their winning performances.

Hats off to all of the other stores that surpassed their sales goals in March and February.

· Chatelaine: May. Small Canadian Satchel in Tutti Frutti Berry on front cover, with women’s Irie Linen Slub Top in blue inside. · Men’s Fashion: April. Men’s Yellow Windbreaker highlighted.· Canadian Living: April. Brooklyn Bag in Parisian Leather featured as functional winged silhouette bag. · Chatelaine: April. Hippie Tribe Bag, the Carli Straw Hat and new Doctor’s Bag appear in issue. · Flare: April. New Blue Baffin Full Zip Shell picked as ‘elegant anorak’.· Sharp: April. Roots included in round-up of great Canadian menswear designers.· ET Canada: April 3. Spotlight on R&B artist Miguel’s visit to Roots.· Flare.com: Mar 30. Roots named one of the 10 Best Canadian Eco-Shops.· National Post: Mar 30. French Tote in Shell and Sea Foam leather appears in Easter product round-up.· Fashion: March. New French Bucket Bag in Ocean Italian Raw Leather is deemed a must-have in top 30 trends for spring. · Flare.com: Mar 21. Two Flare editors wear Roots pieces for site’s Wear Canada Day during Toronto Fashion Week. · VitaminDaily.com: Mar 20. Names Roots the go-to company for sweat-pants.· Zoomer.com: Mar 15. Small Canadi-an Satchel in green from the Tutti Frutti collection in St. Patrick’s Day spread. · Flare.com: Mar 4. Roots Beaver Canoe Jacket picked for top spring varsity jackets.· CityLine and Chatelaine.com: Feb. 26. Fashion Editor Tyler Franch wears men’s custom sorority jacket and picks women’s Shorty Sorority Jacket as the perfect piece to update a classic little black dress.· Marilyn Denis Show: Feb. 15. Men’s French Terry Shirt, Greenville Henley Sweater and Cabin Socks paired with Portage Boot on segment ‘How to dress après ski.’ · Now: Feb. 14. Featuring the Made-moiselle Bag in Rosso in the week’s issue. · Style Nine to Five: Feb. 14. TCA Banff bag showcased on blog under men’s Valentine’s Gift Guide For him. · Globe and Mail: Feb. 9. Heart-shaped leather change purse appears in style section. · LouLou: Feb. 8. Zip-Away Tote fea-tured on magazine’s website in Follow Friday column. · The Steven & Chris Show: Feb. 7. Roots featured on travel episode.· Hello Canada: Feb 4. Doctor’s Bag showcased in ‘Duffle Delight’ article.

Markville team, back row (L to R) : Ashley Vieira, Denzel Grant, Jacky Li, Paola Rios, Nicole Morgan, Austin Kwan Front row: Emma Callon, Har-rison Gill, Megan Loconte, Corey Judd, Nikki Tingson, Nick Carter, Riley Furlong and Emilie Walsh

SPRING FORWARDRoots Rosedale store in Toronto greets the season with special event

FINE PRINT

Spring is a time of renewal. Fresh air, green grass, and of course, a new spring

outfit. To kick-start the season, Roots held a ladies shopping event in Toronto at the Rosedale store in early April.

With refreshments and healthy snacks provided by Totem, a shopping discount and

fees waived on custom orders, ladies were treated to a tailored shopping experience. Before or after shopping, they were also able to take part in a yoga class in the upstairs Roots Yoga Stu-dio or sign up to participate in the store’s outdoor local weekly walking group.

Store Manager Nathalie Del-

ique says the goal was to bring customers out of hiding from the winter weather.

“We wanted to celebrate the new spring line, focus on the fashion and help our custom-ers make the perfect outfit for spring,” says Nathalie.

Some 125 people visited the store throughout the day and into the evening, perusing the new spring items including dresses and the much anticipated spring shoe line. Nathalie felt the event was a success as it helped gener-ate greater interest in Roots, resulting in more sales – the store exceeded its sales goal for the day – including a number of custom bag orders.

“Everyone is excited and ready for spring,” says Nathalie. “This initiative allowed us to share that excitement with our customers.”

Nathalie says she and her team hope to hold more similar shopping event in the months ahead.

Located in mid-town To-ronto, the Rosedale store is a community-oriented, active athletic store offering a weekly walking group in the surround-ing neighbourhood and classes in the beautiful yoga studio lo-cated two floors above the store.

Members of the Rosedale team who worked at the event: (L to R) Ashley Elkin, Nathalie Delique, and David Jolicoeur. Absent: Richard Chitty.


GUESS WHO JUST DROPPED IN...Taking attendance of special guests at Roots

Celebrities have long made a point of shopping at Roots and developing friendly

ties with the brand. Here are the latest sightings of prominent figures from the entertainment industry and sports world who recently visited the company’s stores, head office, factory or were seen wearing Roots. (Stores listed alphabetically)· Aspen, CO – Country singer Jerry Jeff Walker purchased a Village Bag in Tribe Leather.· Aspen, CO – Real Housewives of Orange County reality TV star Lauri Waring stopped by the store.· Banff, Alberta – Barenaked Ladies frontman Ed Robertson bought the Courier Bag as a Val-entine’s Day gift for his wife.· Beverly Hills, CA – Oscar-winning actor Russell Crowe visited the store. · Birmingham, MI – Jakob Dylan, lead singer and songwrit-er of the band The Wallflowers purchased the Furry Trapper Hat in late February.· Bloor Street, Toronto – Film-

maker Rob Stewart stopped in to check out the store.· Bloor Street, Toronto –To-ronto Maple Leafs hockey player Mark Fraser dropped by the store.· Bloor Street, Toronto – R&B artist Miguel sat down to discuss his music and style. · Centreville, Montreal – Chris Kunitz and Craig Adams of the Pittsburgh Penguins did some pre-game shopping in early March.· Eaton Centre, Toronto – Canadian singer-songwriter Jann Arden picked up a pair of Shorty Boots in Desert Tribe.· Eaton Centre, Toronto – Bol-lywood actress Sneha treated herself to a Village Pack and women’s Adelaide Pocket Sweatpants.· Montreal – Musician Rihanna was seen sporting a Roots Salt & Pepper sweat suit on her Dia-monds concert tour.· Yorkdale, Toronto – Actor Peter Gallagher posed with staff for a photo and bought a Kingston Fz Hoodie

Become eco-friendlier by follow-ing some simple steps to green

your kitchen and implement a healthy cooking area. · Start by replacing paper napkins with cloth napkins. It’s easy to forget the impact that even small things have on our planet. On average, each American uses 2,220 paper napkins a year. You can easily reduce waste by using cloth napkins and reusable towels instead of paper ones.· Say yes to a convection oven, as it continually circulates heated air, thereby reducing cooking time and using 20 percent less energy on average than a conventional oven. · Mind the microwave. To make microwave use safer, avoid certain plastics when reheating. Use the microwave infrequently, instead cook and reheat foods on a stove or in the oven.· Eat local. By doing so, you reduce your carbon footprint and potentially also support sustainable growing practices. Plus, freshly picked foods always taste better. · Avoid regular dish cleaner. Instead use salt and hot water to remove the grease off pots and pans. If you happen to burn any of the saucepans, fill the pan half full with water, spoon in baking soda and let it soak overnight, then get scrubbing. · Avoid plastic containers and use glass ones. Not only are glass containers safer for you as they don’t leach chemicals like plastic ones, but they are also bet-ter for the environment. · Fill up the whole dishwasher. Energy Star Dishwashers can be more efficient than hand washing and use less water. Run full loads, air dry and skip the pre-rinsing.· Source: http://www.wholeliving.com/136166/green-your-kitchen-space/@center/136755/green-home-guide

A voyage back in a time to a vintage Roots moment 39 years agoDÉJÀ VUFrom the earliest days of Roots,

prominent figures from the entertainment world have been at-tracted to the brand. Over the years, a veritable who’s-who of musicians, singers, actors, film directors, TV talk-show hosts, producers and other related folk have visited Roots stores and special events.

In 1974, while visiting Toronto, British rock star Elton John, (wear-ing sunglasses), found his way to the original Roots store at 1052 Yonge St. He’s seen here accompanied by Karl Kowalewski, Chief Leather Designer at Roots.

Though small in size, the store played a huge role in putting Roots on the map after it opened in August 1973, selling the negative heel shoe that launched the brand.

GREEN TIP

HOW TO MAKE YOUR KITCHEN GREEN Peter Gallagher

Chris Kunitz and Craig Adams

Mark Fraser

MiguelRob Stewart


STARTING LINEUPIntroducing the people who make it happen at Roots stores

SPEAK TO MY AGENT

SALUTING THOSE WHO GO THE DISTANCE

STAYING POWER

Little – and not so little – customers show their Roots

We often receive unsolicited photos from people eager to

show us pictures of their chil-dren, cousins, grandchildren, or even pets, wearing Roots. Sometimes the senders ask if we could use the photos in a future advertising campaign for Roots. While we can’t promise that, we are happy to publish them in The Source. Over the years, Speak To My Agent has become one of the most popular items in our

magazine because it show-cases everyday people wear-ing Roots.

Everyone is welcome to submit their favourite shots to be considered for publication. Please send your pictures to [email protected].

Be sure to include the name and age of each child or pet in the photo, where it was taken, place of residence and a sentence stating that you agree for the photos to be used in The Source.

As part of our continuing series of team pictures, this issue spotlights the store in Mont-Tremblant, Quebec. Back row, left to right: Sabrina Lévesque, Catherine Lajeunesse, Linda Debhi, Marie-Michèle Labrosse, Michaël Meunier, Carolyne Dupras, Christophe Cloutier, Majorie Cloutier. Front row: Jade Forel Levasseur, Sonia Bélanger. Absent: Véronique Quesnel, Audrey Proulx, Michèle Parent, Kerry Kirby, Devon Elcus Whelan, Béatrice Broderick, Catherine Fugère, Catherine Bruneau, Félix Perrault, Cynthia Roberge, Sabrina Parisien

NEW APPOINTMENTS AND PROMOTIONS

Eleanor Beaudoin, 9 months old, Burnaby, BC

Ainsley Davidson, 2 years old,Toronto, ON

Chris Chisholm, Barb Hawkins, 53, Halifax, NS

William Fraser, 44, Fort McMurray, AB

Maria Noman, 1 year old, Surrey, ON

Wayne Harvey, 39, Bangor, Maine

Aaron Drever, Manager of Techni-cal Services, ITJess Fantauzzo, Social Media Coordinator, Ecommerce and MarketingSteph Guo, Digital Creative Lead, Ecommerce and MarketingTim Keramaris, District Manager, Toronto East RegionMichael Kokkaliaris, Network Administrator, ITIolanda Kovacs-Barbat, Techni-cian, Kids & BabySue Kupka, Senior Manager Re-tail Marketing, Roots.comSabrina Levesques, District Visual Coordinator, Quebec and Ottawa RegionSarah Lewis, District Manager, Ottawa RegionUrvashi Mehta, Senior Manager of Sourcing, MerchandisingAmanda Rotstein, Digital Fashion Editor, Ecommerce and MarketingHannah Siteman, Retail Business Manager, Retail Operations Jeannot Turcotte, Manager, Ap-plication Services, IT

Throughout March and April, sev-eral Roots employees are cel-

ebrating benchmark anniversaries with the company. Congratulations to the following people for their huge contribution and enduring loyalty to RootsRosa Goncalves, Plant Opera-tions Assistant, Factory, 20 yearsDonna Andreychuk, Store Man-ager, Thunder Bay, ON, 15 yearsIsabel Avila, Leather Table Work, Factory, 15 yearsDorota Krol, Production Assistant, Factory, 15 years Madalena Ramos, Leather Stitcher, Factory, 15 yearsMaria Simoes, Leather Stitcher, Factory, 15 yearsCherrie Alburo, Sales Associate, Winnipeg, MB, 5 yearsKimberly Anderson, District Man-ager, Head Office, 5 yearsElaine Cheng, Associate Manager, Vancouver, BC, 5 years Susan Kalbfleisch, Director of Retail Operations, 5 yearsAaron Shields, Keyholder, Ni-agara Falls, ON, 5 years Jessica Sousa, Technician, Prod-uct Development, Head Office, 5 yearsRachelle Tamag, Assistant Man-ager, Langley, BC, 5 years

ON THE MOVE

THE READERS ARE WAITING!Please send us details of recent births, marriages, graduations and any other positive developments in the lives of

Roots people and we’ll be glad to feature it in The Source. Send info to

[email protected]


MUSICAL ROOTS

CHEF’S CORNERRoots-friendly recipes for a healthy diet and to bring pleasure to your palate

This time, we spotlight six-piece Canadian band The Strumbellas

MANGO CHICKEN SALAD: This tasty salad is a healthy but filling choice for the whole family to en-joy. Packed with enzymes such as magneferin and lactase, mangos are an ideal antidote to clean out the bowels and toxins inside our bodies. The chicken soaks up your dressing of choice, adding extra flavour to the salad. Preparation time: 15 minutes Cook time: 35 minutes Serves: 4Ingredients: 1 garlic clove, crushed1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger1 tablespoon soy sauce2 tablespoons sunflower oil300 g chicken breasts750 g potatoes, washed2 large sprigs fresh mint120 g asparagus spears

1 ripe mango, peeled and sliced150 g mixed baby salad greens, such as spinach and romaine lettuceFresh orange dressing:1⁄2 teaspoon finely grated orange rind

1 tablespoon of orange juice1 teaspoon Dijon mustard2 tablespoons sunflower oil1 tablespoon walnut oilpepper to taste Preparation:1. Place the garlic, ginger, soy sauce and sunflower oil in a bowl and whisk together. Add the chicken breasts and turn to coat both sides, marinate for 15 minutes. 2. Place potatoes in saucepan, pour boiling water to cover and add mint sprigs. Cook for 15-20 minutes.3. Place the asparagus in a steamer basket, cover and set over the pan of potatoes to steam. Cook spears for 4-5 minutes. Drain the potatoes (discard mint) and leave until cool. 4. Preheat the broiler. Remove chicken from the marinade and place it on the broiler rack. Broil, brushing

frequently with the marinade and turning once, until cooked through and the juices run clear when the chicken is pierced with the tip of a knife. Leave to rest for 3-4 minutes, then slice. 5. To make the orange dressing, place the orange rind and juice, mus-tard, and sunflower and walnut oils in a large serving bowl, and whisk all the ingredients together until slightly thickened. Season with pepper.6. Transfer the warm sliced chicken, potatoes and asparagus to the serv-ing bowl and gently toss together to coat with the dressing. Add the mango and salad greens and toss gently again. Serve mango chicken salad immediately, while still warm. · Source: http://www.besthealthmag.ca/recipe/mango-chicken-salad

Bringing a twist to classic indie music, The Strum-bellas play indie/country

rock that differs from punk and hardcore music. The six-member band came together in Lind-say, Ontario, a small town 95 km northeast of Toronto, with dreams of being discovered in a big city.

According to lead singer and songwriter, Simon Ward, the Toronto band is currently working on its second CD. Their debut album, My Father and the Hunter, that was released early last year, features distinct harmonies and arena-ready loud music that The Strumbellas have performed in both small venues and at large festivals across Canada.

While the songs from the first album have a more coun-try spin, the members hope the new CD differentiates from their original sound. By includ-ing violin, autoharp, mandolin and the clarinet, The Strumbel-las push beyond the standard country style of bass, guitar, and banjo.

“We don’t really plan the sound,” says Simon. “The sec-ond album is a little less country. But it’s more – well, I don’t know – I usually wait and see what other people tell me it is.”

Since forming in late 2008, The Strumbellas have devel-oped a loyal group of followers,

in part by performing weekly shows in downtown Toronto. However, it was their 2009 self-titled EP that put them in the spotlight as they received positive feedback from critics including the CBC which called them “a band to watch” follow-ing their performance at Canadi-an Music Week earlier that year.

Although the band originated outside Toronto, Simon moved to the city in 2006, and shortly after posted an ad online to at-tract more musicians to join the group.

“It started with a Craigslist ad which led to 15 people com-ing to my apartment to play,” says Simon. When most of the members left after a month,

Simon called up friends from Lindsay and the rest was history. “The only ones who survived the Craigslist ad were two of them, Izzy and Dave, who I met as strangers.”

Since the early days of the band, all the members have con-tributed in their own way to the group’s sound and style of lyrics. While much of the lyrical credit goes to Simon, all six band members ultimately garnish and add spice to the songs.

“It can be tough to have your voice heard,” says Simon. “But we’ve learned a lot over the past few years about how we all need to be working for the song, not the individual.”

This winter, the band went

on a mini-tour, performing in Nova Scotia, Quebec and Ontario. With plans to continue touring across Canada and also in other countries, The Strum-bellas are making their mark on the judges of the upcoming Juno Awards for which the band was officially nominated for Best Roots/Traditional Album.

The Junos ceremony takes place in late April and the band hopes to bring home an award for their album My Father the Hunter to further advance their career. · Tune into Roots Radio to hear the latest from The Strumbellas. For more information go to www.thestrumbellas.ca

- Davin Bujalski

Band members Simon Ward, David Ritter, Jeremy Drury, Jon Hembrey, Darryl James and Isabel Ritchie

march / april 2013

Documents