BLAEK STORE

BLAEK STORE resides in a corner of Manly that has been a service hub for locals for decades. Just across Pittwater Rd from cafe stalwart North Steyne Emporio, or affectionally know as Jocks, and a couple of door from Garage Pizza, BLAEK STORE is a tranquil space for the senses; a place where you’ll be welcome to touch, smell and listen to the story behind each product. I buy my laundry detergent (The Dirt Co.) from BLAEK and the odd shirt when I need one.

Support Local - Browse and Shop BLAEK STORE online

I caught up with Tom, co-founder of BLAEK Store, via email last week to see how things were.

MF - Tell us about Blaek Store, how did it come to be?
TB - BLAEK Store came about because my wife Nikki and I always had a passion for living a sustainable lifestyle. You know, the type where the environment and the world that remains after you is your inspiration that dictates all conversations and decisions in life? We were always into sustainable fashion and while the sustainable (organic, local etc) food industry started to become super mainstream we noticed that fashion was lagging and wanted to do something about it.

We found ourselves not shopping even when we really needed a new t-shirt for example because, not only did we not have the time to trawl the internet for responsible brands all we could find was pretty daggy 'one size fits all' type sustainable and organic options. There was so much green-washing where people were publishing intentionally misleading information about their sustainable commitment or using buzz words in order to sound cool and like they care but without actually doing either. It was all just so hard and we didn't understand why there was a lack of multi-brand, sustainable stores selling good clothing, homewares and everyday essentials for men and women. Sooooo we started our own and what started as a pop-up store in Freshwater quickly morphed into a fully fledged business that is now 10 months old at 210 Pittwater Road, Manly and online at blaekstore.com. 

We brought brands like Nudie Jeans Co. back to Manly which, not many people will know but was the very first place Nudie Jeans Co. was sold in Australia and it began to attract beautiful customers who were buying for the right reasons. We're proud of our close relationship with Nudie Jeans Co. who are doing huge things in sustainable denim.

Tell us about your customers and how do you serve them?
We have the best customers. We say this to each other and to our staff everyday. They are truly incredible, beautiful, talented and intelligent. We have two types of customers: 1 who is totally unaware that conventional cotton is full of dirty chemicals that poison the earth, water systems, workers, local communities and eventually the food we eat. They see a poster on our wall or an Instagram post about organic cotton and spark up a conversation with us which is just so cool. We come out the other end both having learnt something. The second customer teaches us a thing or two about sustainability and reminds us that it's a learning process based on honest intent and effort. We learn from our customers every day and they give validation to what we have worked so hard to create in BLAEK Store. 

What’s the one product in Blaek Store that generates the most conversation with your customers? Tell us a little about it.
Hmm this is a tough one. Every single product we stock has an incredible story. We stock footwear made from discarded car tyres from a company called Indosole. They turn them into thongs and slides that last longer than most. Bars of soap by Shampoo with a Purpose that are shampoo and conditioner bars which are the equivalent of 12 bottles of shampoo and conditioner in a cardboard box for $15. Mine has lasted 10 months so far, what's the cost per wash on that Murray? How often do I wash my hair Murray? Haha. We also stock conventional items like denim and cotton t-shirts from the best local and international brands like Nudie Jeans Co., Patagonia, Kowtow etc. Everyone is comfortable paying $50-$70 for a t shirt but our tees are 100% organic cotton, made by well paid workers not modern slaves and actually improve the planet and people's lives every time they are produced. A common customer conversation is the idea behind paying $50-$70 for a sustainable tee or the same price for one that does exactly the opposite and has a shorter lifespan. I mean I understand why someone may have to spend $15 on a tee if that is all that's in their budget but if you have the choice and you are choosing the one that does such damage but paying the same all you are doing is contributing to the environmental and social damage. It's like buying bottled water, you're not actually buying water you're simply supporting a plastic bottle production company! 

How are you continuing to serve your customers while we’re all in shutdown?
We are story-tellers in essence. If someone wants to purchase in store or online we give them the story behind the item not so we make the sale but so that the customer knows what they are buying and feels proud about their positive impact. It's also about showing our customers that you can continue to live the life you love and help the world at the same time. We impact positively on people's happiness, self-worth and confidence and we do this by arming them with knowledge about what their money has just done for the world. It's pretty cool and the flow on effect has been inspiring to watch.

It's business as usual for us in the most unusual of ways. Our bricks and mortar has closed temporarily as it felt like being open was the wrong thing to do for a number of reasons. Our online store is there with every single product we stock, information, support and we're even doing in-store appointments if people call or dm us on Instagram @blaek.store with a preferred time which our customers have loved. We're relying on our socials and mainly Instagram to keep our community informed about new products, new reasons to shop sustainably and new stories and we will be stepping it up even more and have plenty of exciting projects about to launch in response to this situation!

With everything going on it feels like we're in uncertain and unprecedented times, what are positives you think we can emerge with?
Man 'unprecedented' is the word I keep using! It is the perfect word and the only word in my opinion. Right now everyone from a CEO to a garbage person has no idea what their job will look like next week, no idea what their industry will look like in 6 months and no idea what their routine will be in 10 days. It's wild! There are so many positives to do with the human spirit, learning how to offer support to friends, family and strangers and also learning how to monitor your own levels of happiness. At BLAEK Store we are focusing on what we DO know. We know that yesterday was hard but today will be harder because COVID-19 or no COVID-19, that is the exact purpose of life. What's the point if we're not challenging every aspect of what we do everyday after that first step out of bed? People are going to learn new skills out of this, new ways of communicating, slowing down, spending money on things that matter and taking time to put real effort into everything they do. This is a horrible situation which i don't want to play down as people are dying and struggling right now. We can look at this as a reset and a chance for everyone to stand up and look at their life a little differently and maybe make some significant changes that they hadn't had the courage to make previously. We don't know yet what positives will come out of all of this. We don't know anything aside from the fact that this is going to be a huge challenge but we can all overcome it together.

All of this is going to feed into our business and we will come out the other end of this stronger, better and more equipped.

Come along for the ride and remember to support local business any way you can!

Shop online at: blaekstore.com
Shop In store: DM us on instagram @blaek.store or call us through our Instagram profile 'contact' section to make a time that suites.
Join in the conversation, be a part of the community on our Instagram @blaek.store