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A new shop has just opened its doors in Uxbridge this summer: ELEMI Organics is an earthy boutique that features pure body and home care products made from natural and organic ingredients – many of which are made directly on site, by hand.

Proprietor, Ginny van Veghel was swept up into an entrepreneurial whirlwind with the same innate velocity that drove her original passion: to locate natural and organic products for her own use. But blazing a blustery path from then until now has stirred up a whole lot more than she may have ever anticipated.

Her initial interest in aromatherapy and natural alternatives for health and body care were self directed, and enhanced further by working in a related specialty store selling ‘natural’ products while living in B.C. As her expertise grew, she was soon conducting various workshops and programs at the store and elsewhere. Although Ginny, her husband, D’Arcy, and their young son, Liam, enjoyed living in the west, eventually the heartstrings of family and friends tugged them back to Ontario.

Ginny’s interest in natural products however, never waivered. In fact, she enrolled in a course which earned her a certificate as an “Aromatherapy Practitioner” and bolstered her further along her chosen path.

Less than two years later, B.C reciprocated the tug, calling them to return to the mountains that they were not fully severed from. Fortunate to resume her career at the natural product shop, Ginny was endowed with upgraded skills, landing her a management position. But with a more developed knowledge of essential oils (which are naturally derived plant extractions used in aromatherapy), and a growing familiarity with harmful ingredients used in the making of body care products, Ginny became skeptical, and eventually dismayed by the incongruent and misleading representation of the term ‘natural’ in the products she was hired to sell. As a franchise, the owners were unable to alter their inventory to support Ginny’s objective to promote chemical-free ingredients. As a result, Ginny was compelled to honour her personal integrity and move onward.

In search of entirely natural and organic products for her own use, Ginny stumbled onto a somewhat unclaimed niche. With years of personal interest, combined with the years in related retail, and her supplementary education in aromatherapy, Ginny began researching and sourcing pure and natural ingredients at affordable prices for her own formulations. Although not all products can be certified organic, Ginny has always sought materials free from pesticides, fertilizers and other trace chemicals.

Before long, the ELEMI brand was born with an initial line of roll-on synergy blends. Her husband designed the logo, and she worked with a graphic artist to develop the ELEMI label and packaging aesthetics. Elemi is an essential oil that delivers a sense of inner peace. Ginny liked the alignment of an Arabic connotation derived from the word that means: ‘as above, so below;’ encompassing a physical, emotional and spiritual connection for her products.

As business grew, Ginny entertained the thought of opening a retail location, affording her the personal interaction with customers, something she enjoyed and was good at. It made sense, however, to take advantage of her strong support network of friends and family back home in Uxbridge. And so, last August, the threesome returned yet again. By February, a fateful networking event led to the very location Ginny pined for. By May, brown paper windows concealed the ambitious renovations taking place inside.

On July 2, despite a major downtown overhaul on the main street of Uxbridge, ELEMI embraced its first customers at a soft opening. The beautifully designed retail space, rooted in earthy elements and uncluttered elegance, boasts a pensive variety of products across rustic barn board shelves. D’Arcy fitted much of the interior himself, including the hand-crafted counter, crowned with a monolithic driftwood slab of B.C red cedar, spanning 9’ by 4’, which they hauled across the country, en route back home. Exposed brick walls, warm natural wood tones, and organic display elements impart a simple contemporary foundation for displaying wares.

Ginny uses only pure essential oils in her hand-made ELEMI line of: synergy blends (from her ‘BE’ and ‘HAPPY’ collections), hand and foot delights, soaps, outdoor spray, and home cleaning products. She supplements her own body care products with: Pangea Organic Skin Care from Colorado, bamboo facial cleaning cloths, pumice stones, and irresistible baby goods from Shoo-Foo.

Home wares include: room diffusers (to dispense essential oils into the air), soap dishes, colourful fair trade hand-woven baskets from Ghana, sheathed bamboo cutlery, stainless steel ‘To-Go Ware’ food containers, and her ELEMI line of natural cleaning products - which are packaged in refillable aluminum bottles that glean a clean discount when returned for more. A 500 ml. bottle of grapefruit and lime dish solution retails for a sudsy $5.95, while a refill is a mere $4.50. There is also refillable furniture polish, laundry solution, and room spray, all enhanced with the power of essential oils.

“I wanted to make natural and organic products available to everyone – it was important to me that they were affordable and not just something only some people could buy,” Ginny asserted. Her goal is to be gentle on both the body and the environment, so quality and purity is a must. She also utilizes recycled paper and non-toxic ink on her printed materials to reduce the environmental impact.

This fall marks an exciting time for ELEMI, with both an official Grand Opening in the works, and an opportunity to have a selection of ELEMI products included in the celebrity and media gift bags for the 2009 Country Music Awards! In addition, Ginny is already working on expanding inventory to include lip balms and soy candles in preparation for those inevitable dark and cold days ahead.

“The response we’ve had already has been really positive,” Ginny beams. Some have suggested this store is exactly what Uxbridge needs. “I chose to do it here because I wanted to make a pioneering contribution to this town,” as she cultivates those natural Uxbridge roots; high above, deep below.

Elemi Organics
Ginny van Veghel (905) 904-0557
58 Brock St. W. Uxbridge, Ontario
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East of the City, September 2009
Story & Photos by Linda Lee Purvis