Jill Zdunich has brought Shop Take Care to the Exchange District.
She opened the original consignment clothing boutique in Osborne Village three years ago. Adding a second store brings new opportunities for her as an entrepreneur, and for shoppers in the Exchange.
In addition to the retail area at the front of the store, the Exchange District location also offers studio space for Zdunich to produce her House Ghost clothing line. Owning a shop and creating a clothing line were not always part of the plan for Zdunich.
When she moved to Winnipeg from Vancouver five years ago, it was to work at Vera Pizzeria. She had previously worked in the financial field for the stability it offered, however, working for herself was never far from her mind. It took five years before she had the money – and the courage – to set out on her own.
She comes from a family of entrepreneurs, she said, and while the idea was attractive, it also came with a measure of fear. “Growing up, there were highs and lows. It was scary and hectic,” she said, adding that her family also moved often.
During the harder times, they had to shop at thrift stores out of necessity, a memory that conjures dingy store settings with musty carpeting and bins of picked-over clothing, the opposite of the fresh, modern environment she has created for Shop Take Care.
Zdunich is tickled when someone spends some time in the store before declaring, “this is used?!” she said. “I want it to feel like a boutique… to smell, look and feel great.”
More people are coming around to the idea of pre-worn clothing, as understanding grows about what Zdunich said is “the darker side of the fashion industry,” and the environmental impact of fast fashion. At Shop Take Care, “it’s fun to watch an item get its second or third life,” she said.
The new Exchange store is organized the same way as the Osborne location, without separation of items into men’s or women’s clothing categories. “It can take a bit sometimes for people to wrap their heads around it,” but it’s part of creating a different kind of shopping experience, said Zdunich. The shop also carries products from small batch makers, including jewelry, incense, essential oils and deodorants, lotions, face and body wash, lip balm, vegan nail polish and more.
“I don’t want people to come in, grab something, and leave,” she said. “It’s in our name… we want to take care, and offer a personable, warm, welcoming and safe place to spend time.”
Shop Take Care is located at 217 McDermot Ave.