Concept
Rarified is essentially a design product shop offering a range of well designed, quality made and useful products for daily living. The portfolio of products we offer represents the combination of the interests the founders have in consumer products, and what those products mean for us in terms of life style, health and well being, and the implications for our planet. As a result the products range from furniture and house wares, to artisanal food products, personal care products, some really interesting clothing and a few outstanding bicycles thrown in the mix just because they really should be part of daily life. These products and the companies behind them run counter to the process of homogenization that is taking place in the world of consumer goods where there seems to be an ever increasing amount of cheap, poorly designed, semi-disposable products entering the market.
The red thread through the Rarified portfolio is that the products represent real achievements in design and production by talented designers and craftspeople working for typically small to medium sized companies who want to offer products that will have a long lifespan and function as beautifully as they look. As the people who run these companies tend to be exceptionally bright and creative individuals, they tend to be thinking a lot these days about sustainability. It is truly inspiring to see how they are evolving their operations and products to meet goals for things like waste reduction, indoor air quality, energy conservation, recyclability and fair trade. We want to encourage and support these companies by educating our customers on the choices they have as consumers.
So why open a shop in Okotoks, Alberta you may ask? Okotoks is one of the fastest growing towns in Canada and located just outside of the burgeoning city of Calgary. One very interesting thing about Okotoks is that its growth is being guided by a sustainable development plan that recognizes the limitations of the local environment to support a population, and seeks to balance those realities with the requirements for housing, commercial infrastructure and municipal services. It is an ambitious plan, and one that will need to be constantly defending and supported.
Rarified is located in Olde Towne Okotoks, the historic centre for the town that offers a diversity of independent shops, restaurants and services. We are very proud to be part of this business community and the revitalization of the down town. So come out and enjoy the day in Okotoks, go for a walk or bike ride in the area, stop to stare at the sheer magnificence of the mountains on the horizon, go for a meal at any of the area's great local restaurants and stop in to see what's new at Rarified.