Everything is coming full circle for Thai Pham, wife Bianca Martins, and their business, Replenish General Store.
When they signed the lease for their store on Yonge Street in Aurora just days before pandemic closures on March 10, 2020, it was their second choice.
“We actually had looked at Main Street in Newmarket when we first started developing the business,” said Pham. “We actually had a tentative deal for the exact location we’re in now.”
In late June, Pham and Martins announced that they’d be re-locating their business from Aurora to 208 Main St., at the corner of Botsford.
“We looked at this place almost four years ago and it’s funny how things work,” Pham said. “But we ended up in Aurora and it was very good to us and we had fantastic local support.”
Despite the challenges of the pandemic, the business was able to establish itself over its three years in Aurora.
“We were growing, but what ended up happening was we started realizing more about our local area,” said Pham. “We knew our location (on) Yonge would be very traffic centric and we began getting feedback from our customers that it’s really challenging to park and it’s intimidating.”
Pham and Martins heard that due to the location and with a lack of other attractions in the area, their customers would sometimes keep going because they couldn’t easily find parking.
“It was really heartbreaking as a small business to hear that,” said Pham. “Your location is almost fighting with your customers.”
Pham joined Aurora’s Business Improvement Area (BIA) and was a part of the Aurora Economic Development Corporation trying to help revitalize the downtown core, but over time he realized it was a waiting game for the town square development project.
“They were letting it grow organically and I had done a lot of research on downtown Main Street Newmarket and realized it takes years before the fruits of the labour take place,” he said. “We just decided that as new business owners we couldn’t wait and hope our business could make it through.”
With Main Street Newmarket already being in a “mature phase” of redevelopment and revitalization, Pham and Martins felt it was time to make a move.
“There were just so many exciting things happening on the street,” said Pham. “And with the opening of so many anchor businesses that would make it a self-sufficient neighbourhood, it made it much more of an established area.”
When the building in Newmarket came on the market, Pham and Martins couldn’t pass up the opportunity to become owners and operators.
“Relying on a landlord rent situation wouldn’t be in our best interest long-term,” said Pham. “So we talked with our customers and decided it was time for a change and we’ve had such a positive reaction from our customers and the Newmarket community.”
Pham and Martins can’t wait to officially open in Newmarket, and are hoping to be ready by October or early November as they finish up the renovations.
A sustainable lifestyle store, the business focuses on local, zero-waste products in an effort to make the shopping experience easier on those who want to make changes in their lives.
“We really like supporting local and providing natural and organic products,” said Pham. “It sounds cheesy, but we want to sell products from companies that care. The makers and suppliers we deal with have their hearts in the right place.”
The idea is that it takes pressure off shoppers to figure out where their products are really coming from and the impacts they have because Replenish General Store only works with the best of the best.
Several of the companies they work with are Certified B Corporations, which are businesses that meet the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose.
“Our motto is that Replenish General Store is the home of good products,” said Pham. “What that means for us is that not only are we selling high-quality products, but they’re designed to be better for you and the planet.”
Sustainability for Pham and Martins is all about having as little impact on the planet as possible, but they understand that without having an option for sustainable products, it’s hard to follow through, especially for busy families.
“That’s been our Number 1 focus,” said Pham. “We want to provide a real different option for people and make it convenient. We know it’s easy to go to a big box store and get everything in one stop. That’s why we need to find unique and innovative ways to help our customers.”
Offering more and more options around package free and refills was where the business originally started, but Pham said they’ve realized they need to support their customers, too.
“Part of that is not just wellness for the planet, but wellness for ourselves and our community,” he said. “We’re really investing in self-care with a holistic approach because if you don’t feel good you won’t have the bandwidth to make changes.”
Pham said location is a big part of making the process easier on customers and lessening the toll it takes on their “bandwidth,” which is why they feel the Newmarket move will help them broaden their audience and message.
“It’s about convenience, like when you’re attending a Thursday night concert at Riverwalk, it makes it so much easier to come grab what you need,” he said. “We’ll facilitate that, too, by having a drop-off and pickup system so that you don’t have to worry about lugging things around while checking out all the great attractions on Main Street.”
