January 30, 2012

New Saskatoon Businesses – Griffen Takeway – Lube Shop – Serenity Apparel

It was nice to see in the Saskatoon Star Phoenix that we have a few new businesses up and running in the city and they have unique things to offer people. As our city grows it is good to see that businesses are growing with it. The first new business in Saskatoon that caught my eye is The Griffin Takeaway which caters to celiac people with their gluten free products as well as vegans, vegetarians but also a regular menu of light lunches and desserts. They are very careful not to cross-contaminate anything which is more important than most people realize. I have a sister with Celiacs and I know how she struggles to find anything for take-out that she knows is safe. She is molecule sensitive so if a bread crumb even touches her food she is sick for days. Most people aren’t aware of how sensitive some people are with allergies but the world seems to be becoming more educated and understanding of these diseases.

They offer salads, soups, sandwiches and all kinds of desserts like custards, puddings, cookies, cupcakes, cheesecakes, etc. They offer gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian and meat so they have something for everyone. They are located where Cupcake Corner used to be in the strip mall on 8th Street near Jysk and J&H Builders. I will definitely be in to check them out soon and look forward to having somewhere safe I can take my sister for lunch when she visits where we don’t have to go into a long explanation of the disease and severity of it. At times I also have Saskatoon real estate clients who are looking for speciality shops for their dietary needs so I am happy to have a gluten-free option that I can tell them about.

Another new business to note is The Lube Shop on Idylwyld which is a warranty-approved one stop shop for all of your vehicles lubricants such as oil, transmission fluid, power steering, coolant, brake, etc and can also replace filters but the thing that makes them unique is they are one of the first shops of this kind to also offer tire rotations. As a real estate agent in Saskatoon I can appreciate the one stop shop benefit but more than that, as a Realtor in Saskatoon I can also appreciate the ability to stop in without an appointment when it comes time to change my oil. We tend to drive a lot and sometimes our kilometers get up on us so not having to wait a week or two is very important. There are several businesses such as Great Canadian Oil Change that offer an appointment free environment but this one has just that one extra feature that some drivers may find handy.

Another business that isn’t new but that has expanded and moved permanently to The Centre Mall is Serenity Apparel. It has been open for about two years and they have done well so they have moved to a larger location that offers free parking and ease of access. This store offers similar clothing to LuLu Lemon but at more affordable prices and they are environmentally conscious. Having boycotted LuLu myself after I found out that our “Canadian Company” is outsourcing their clothing to Thailand and other cheap labour companies I have seen the quality go down and the prices still keep going up even though the clothing is being made at a fraction of the cost. At Serenity Apparel Eco-friendly products such as cotton, soy and bamboo are a large part of their business. Their newest line is called Dedicated Clothing and it is 100% Canadian made if that is important to you as a consumer. As a Saskatoon real estate agent and a business person I like to find Canadian made products and turn other people on to them as well.

Kari Calder
Saskatoon Real Estate Agent
Century 21 Fusion
kari@saskatoonrealestate.net