bare market
bare market is a grocery store totally free of packaging and plastic.
Not only will you find everything you would at a conventional supermarket here, from makeup and detergent to baked goods and produce, you'll often get it for a discount since the store gets a price break for buying in bulk.
Design by Common Good Studio and construction by Fourth Pig is as eco-conscious as it is beautiful, and lots of furniture is also modular so the space can be used in different ways. A small cafe area is equipped with seating, tables and outlets.
There are several ways to package up your own items here: purchase one of several kinds of containers available here, borrow a container for a $2 deposit, grab a container that's been donated for free, or bring in any clean, dry, un-chipped container of your own.
At a weighing station, start shopping by clicking a "weigh empty container" option, store the weight on a digital tag, and wrap it around your weighed container. This weight will be subtracted automatically at cash when making your purchase.
They aim to sell all organic produce at or below the cost of similar retailers.
bare market works directly with local farmers to obtain their produce free of packaging.
An oil and vinegar bar has several varieties of each product on tap, and has handy funnels available for reusing bottles.
Funnels are also stationed at shelves for dry goods to help contain messy products and make sure everything is as sanitary as possible.
Dairy-free ice cream ($11) comes in flavours like chocolate, Ontario strawberry, vanilla bean, lemon wild blueberry and chocolate peanut butter.
Loaves of bread for around $6.50 in varieties like pumpernickel, rye, pumpkin seed, sunflower seed, sourdough, multigrain and whole wheat are provided by Petit Thuet.
A bath and body section has bulk bath products from Oneka as well as scrubs and cleansing products by Scarborough brand Green & Frugal.
Canadian-made, mineral-based bulk makeup is contract manufactured specially for bare market.
Other environmentally friendly personal care items include everything from brushes and soap dishes to reusable makeup pads and menstrual products.
A home goods section is stocked with ingredients to make your own detergent as well as rare products like soap nuts, both sold in bulk.
Just like in a regular housewares section you can also find products like toilet brushes and brooms here, but sustainably constructed.
Other items that aim to replace disposable products with reusable ones include bowl covers ($5 - $16), Earthology wraps and Stashers.
The purpose of the cafe is generally to upcycle stock that would otherwise be wasted, but there are also some pastries for quick pickup.
Hector Vasquez