sept / oct 2010

Issue 97 - Sept. - Oct. 2010 The Source • 1

A window into the world of Roots Issue 97 • Sept. - Oct. 2010

IN GOOD HANDSWith its proven expertise in the design and manufacturing of leather goods,

Roots goes back to its origins, making quality footwear in Canada

Left to right: Ed Cox, Don Green,Karl Kowalewski, Michael Budmanand Suresh Dureja

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2 • The Source Issue 97 - Sept. - Oct. 2010

DepartmentsFINE PRINT

GREAT MOMENTS IN RETAIL

NEW & NOTEWORTHY

STAYING POWER

GREEN TIP

HEALTH TIP

SPECIAL DELIVERYA selection of recent letters from the world of Roots

I N S I D EI S S U E 9 7

EXPRESS YOURSELFWe invite you to send us your

letters and/or your most creativephotos or illustrations for publica-tion in The Source. Please send

your submissions [email protected]

PublishersMICHAEL BUDMAN, DON GREEN

EditorROBERT SARNER

Editorial AssistantCAROLINE IWANOWSKI

InternsRACHELLE CUEVAS

NADIA MALIKALIX KEMPF

The Source is published by Roots CanadaLtd. We welcome letters from readers forpublication. Please address allcorrespondence to The Source, Letters tothe Editor, Roots Canada, 1400 CastlefieldAve., Toronto, Ontario, M6B 4C4 or by emailto [email protected] Letters may beedited for length and clarity. Each issue of The Source is also available,both in blog and PDF formats, on the Rootswebsite at www.roots.com

HELPING KIDSWe would like to thank Roots forits kind support of our work withchildren through your donationto the recent Dare Arts Leader-ship Awards Gala auction. Yourcontribution helped raise morethan $33,000.

Your generous contributionand continued support arehelping Dare Arts to provide10,000 Canadian childrenannually with arts education as ameans to build self-discipline,self-esteem and leadership.

On behalf of the children,thank you for being part of theirlives.Marilyn FieldDare Arts FoundationPalgrave, Ontario

IN THE BAGAhead of a trip to Stockholm,Sweden, I needed a new handbagfor traveling. I didn’t want tobring something too big orostentatious, but rather a bag thatwould be chic and functional.

At the Roots Saskatoon storein Saskatchewan, the retail repswere wonderful and suggested Ispecial-order a Village Bag. Iordered a white bag with a lighttan strap and gold hardware. Itarrived two weeks later (Iexpected to wait a month or so),and it looked incredible. Thiswas my first bag purchase fromRoots.

I’m a bit embarrassed toadmit that prior to this purchase,

I had always written off Roots asa “store for people who camp,”but now I will recommend theRoots experience to anyone whocompliments my bag.

I’m impressed with the bagitself (I received many compli-ments overseas) and especiallywith your customer service –from the in-store experiencethrough the ordering process andtimely manufacture and deliveryof my bag. Thank you.Nicole HawkinsSaskatoon, Saskatchewan

GREAT SERVICEOn a recent visit to the MayfieldCommon Shopping Centre inEdmonton, my daughter and Ireceived exceptional servicefrom the staff at the Roots store.Three employees were workingthere at the time, and all wereextremely helpful.

The service and atmospherein the store allowed us to enjoyour time and pick up some greatdeals. Even better, the place wasspotless.

Clearly, the employees in thislocation have received excellenttraining and are able to provideprompt service without thecustomer feeling hounded.Bravo!Charmaine BrooksEdmonton, Alberta

DOING RIGHTOn behalf of the Sick KidsFoundation, I’d like to thank

Roots for the generous donationof a new women’s leather pursefor our recent annual Gift Gala.The event, along with otherfundraising efforts, providesSick Kids Hospital incrediblefinancial support. Withoutfriends and supporters like you,the event wouldn’t have beensuch a success.

The support Sick Kidsreceives from the community isintegral to achieving the world-leadership role to which weaspire. Thanks to philanthropi-cally inclined companies likeyours, who understand theimportance of making ourchildren’s health a priority, SickKids can conduct ground-breaking health research toeducate the scientists andhealthcare leaders of tomorrow,and to provide our patients withthe absolute best care the worldhas to offer.

Thank you for believing inthe transformational power ofphilanthropy and for believing inthe work of our Hospital.Because you believe, countlesssick children will not only feelbetter – they will be better, too.Pamela Osorio-KettleSick Kids Foundation, Toronto

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DELIVERING THE GOODSRoots officially launches theRoots Delivers program

MARCHING TO ADIFFERENT DRUMNew video featuring Roots xDouglas Coupland line andmusic by The Most SereneRepublic

A TIMELY RESPONSEIT Dept. worked tirelessly torestore connectivity at HeadOffice

ATLANTIC MAGICRoots draws inspiration fromthe Eastern moors for its fallcampaign

HAPPY BIRTHDAYCANADA!Ottawa stores come togetherto throw a party for Canada

MAKING TRACKSScarborough store employeestake co-worker’s diagnosis instride

MAKING THE PAST COMEALIVEEva Lee puts her greatdiligence to good use as shebrings order to Roots history


Continued on next page

DEEP ROOTSTrue to the early years of the company, Roots is returning to making fine footwear at itsstate-of-the-art factory in Toronto and featuring it in many of its stores. By NADIA MALIK

Upstairs in the offices thatoverlook the Rootsleather factory onCaledonia Avenue in

Toronto, Roots Co-FounderMichael Budman and LeatherExpert Karl Kowalewski poreover every last detail for the newfootwear collection. Theydiscuss which leathers to use –the Desert Boot in Tribe is amust. Karl shows Michael asample of the new Russian VampHalf Boot, finished only mo-ments earlier on the factory floorbelow. Michael’s pleased withhow the sole looks but questionsthe colour of the stitching. Theylook at other options before Karlexcuses himself to take a callfrom the tannery about develop-ing a new suede for the line.

It’s evident that Michael andKarl’s passion for footwear andattention to detail are every bitas strong as they were in 1973,when Michael and fellow RootsCo-Founder Don Green firstworked with the Kowalewskifamily to create the negative heelshoe.

Footwear has been notice-ably absent from store shelves inrecent years. However, that allchanged last fall, with theintroduction of select styles,which proved to be extremelypopular with customers. OnSeptember 7, the company willlaunch a new line of shoes andboots in even more designs andcolours in 30 stores acrossCanada. Currently availableonline and in select stores, thecollection includes severalenduring styles that will appealto a variety of tastes (See sidebaron next page).

Footwear is in line with thecompany’s goal of sellingproducts that are both functionaland essential to daily life.Moreover, getting back intofootwear allows the company toprovide customers with a morecomplete shopping experience.From hats to hoodies to shoes,people can meet virtually all oftheir apparel needs at Roots.

The line benefits from the

knowledge and expertise of theKowalewski family, who havebeen involved with Roots sinceits inception. It was JanKowalewski who made the firstRoots shoes with his sons.

“My father Jan was a mastershoemaker who instilled in usthe importance of quality andethics in shoemaking,” saysKarl. “He taught us that there areno shortcuts when makingquality footwear. We createshoes that are strong and sturdyand made to last.”

This sentiment is echoed byMichael, who considers Karl“one of the world’s leadingexperts on leather with tremen-dous expertise in shoemaking.”

When the leather teamstarted working on the new lineof footwear last winter, theybegan the design process from

scratch to ensure the collectionmet their high standards. Thefirst task was to design andcreate a new “last” to ensure aproper fit and a classic toedesign which would outlast anyshort-term fashion trend.

When it came to the soles,the team knew exactly who theywanted to make them. The solesare made in Quebec by the samecompany that made them for thenegative heel shoe in 1973. Itconsists of a composition rubbercombined with a natural latex,which makes it durable andflexible and provides excellenttraction. Like the military sole, itcan withstand changes in theweather, adding to the collec-tion’s versatility.

Michael anticipates that thenew line will draw more custom-ers into stores.

“Footwear will reallybroaden our reach by bringingmore men back to Roots,” hesays. “Unlike clothing, men needto try shoes on in store. Oncethey come in, they’ll start tobrowse the rest of our products.As we saw last year, the bootswere very popular with womenand we expect the new styles tobe as well.”

Regular customers will bepleased to find the line availablein several of their favouriteleathers. Tribe leather, a popularchoice for Roots bags because ofits quality and resilience, is anoption, as is Rustler leather.There are also new materials,including Vesuvio, an Italiansuede with a luxurious nap andfeel.

In keeping with its strongcommitment to customer service,the company stands behind itsproducts and can provideservices that most shoe retailersin Canada cannot. For example,if customers notice the soles oftheir shoes beginning to wear outover time, Roots will re-sole theshoes for a small fee.

Like all Roots leather goods,the footwear is made in Canadaat the state-of-the-art leatherfactory. The facility had to bemodified to accommodate thesize and scope of the new line.The previous space used lastwinter was too small and as aresult a new, larger area wasdesignated for manufacturingshoes. New lighting and airconditioning units were installedalong with a fresh coat of paint.New sewing machines were alsoadded. The company’s re-entrance into footwear hascreated new jobs as it hired moresewing machine operators aswell as additional staff toassemble the shoes.

Given that the company gotits start in shoes, it seems onlyfitting that many of the keymembers behind the new line arethe ones who first launched thenegative heel back in 1973.Michael oversaw the project

Roots employees, many of whom have worked decades at the leatherfactory in Toronto, bring great skills and dedication to their work


THE GOODSNew line of shoes andboots made for walking

Continued from previous page

from start to finish. Karl wasresponsible for making patternsand Henry Kowalewski man-aged the manufacturing process.All three contributed to designideas along with Don Green,Denyse Green and Diane Bald.

Henry was instrumental inthe return of Roots to footwear.It was prompted by a visit lastyear to a shopping mall with hisdaughter in search of new shoes.When he couldn’t find a decentpair, he thought, why couldn’tRoots fill the void in the market?He spoke to Karl, Michael andDon and they ultimately agreedthat Roots should get back intoshoes and boots.

“It was great to see thisproject reach fruition,” saysHenry. “It’s the source of muchpride for us to be makingfootwear again in our factory in

Toronto as there’s virtually noshoe industry left in Canada.Karl and I worked closely fornearly two years on developingall the necessary components forthe design and manufacturing offootwear that are simple, com-fortable, stylish and made of thebest materials possible. For thelabour, we used our core groupof skilled people in our factoryand are expanding around them.”

Ed Cox, who has been withthe company since 1975, sees thesimplicity of the new line as itskey to success.

“The line is about comfortand style,” says Ed. “With theDesert Boots, the riding bootsand the upcoming sheepskinboots, it’s about keeping itsimple and keeping it right.”

A new member of the Rootsteam is Suresh Dureja, Directorof Manufacturing. He came toRoots in the spring from CanadaGoose with more than 20 yearsof experience in the field. Sureshis responsible for managing thefactory floor, order planning,scheduling and ensuring alldeliveries are made on time.

While new to the company,Suresh knows the quality ofRoots shoes firsthand.

“I’ve been wearing the desertboots in tribe leather on thefactory floor,” he says. “I’m onmy feet all day and the shoeshave proven very comfortableand breathable.”

It’s an ideal time for Roots tomake footwear again. In recentyears, long-time customersexpressed their desire for thecompany to get back into shoes.Moreover, there was a distinctvoid in the market that needed to

be filled.“Henry and I saw a lack of

well-made, properly fitting shoesof a good quality and reasonableprice,” says Karl. “You could goto the mall and buy inexpensiveshoes that didn’t fit very well orgo to [downtown Toronto’s]Bloor Street to a very high-endstore and pay a lot of money toget a well-made shoe.”

Jarar Kazmi, ExecutiveDirector of Retail Operations,sees great potential in the newline.

“It’s exhilarating to witnessthe re-launch of Roots footwear,”says Jarar. “Our shoes, like ourbags, are made in Canada andtruly reflect the Roots quality.The staff in our stores arelooking forward to present theseto our customers who have longawaited the return of Rootsshoes. We’re excited and we’reready.”

All of the Roots stores builtor renovated in 2009 and 2010have had a shoe departmentincorporated into their design.Since then, they’ve been used forsomething else until the shoesare fully stocked in the stores.

“We first began thinkingabout how best to incorporate ashoe department in select storeslast year,” says PaulineLandriault, Director of Plan-ning and Development. “Itstarted with a special shoe tablethat we tested and then evolvedinto custom size shippingpalettes to display the shoes. Thedesign was inspired by a photo-graph that Jarar (Kazmi) showedme. As part of the shoe depart-ment, it was important to have acomfortable chair for customersto sit in while trying on shoes.We developed a version of theClassic Harp chair from RootsHome, which is easy to get inand out of, is ergonomicallycorrect, very stable and good forall ages. As the fixture design isflexible, it can be movedanywhere in the store.”

Despite what some maythink, nostalgia was not a drivingforce behind the relaunch.

“One of the key pillars of theRoots brand is footwear,” saysMichael. “In this great future,don’t forget your past. Werespect our past, but we don’tdwell on it.”

The just launched ad campaign for the new line of shoes and boots isinspired largely by the original ads for Roots in the 1970s

Built to last, Roots footwear is the perfect way to step into fall

The Desert Boot is a reissue ofthe classic, first sold at Roots

in 1973. Available for both menand women, it comes in avariety of colours and leathers.The Brogue Bootie for women isa stylish lace-up boot with aclassic wing tip toe. With itsperforations and contraststitching, it has a beautiful andtimeless look. Last fall’s RussianVamp Tall Boot is back, alongwith the new Half Boot. Bothstyles can be dressed up ordown to go from day to night.Other favourites that will beavailable again this seasoninclude the Tuffer Boot, theNordic Boot and the Kamik.Look for more winter boots to belaunched later this year.


This fall, in keeping with thecompany’s commitment toproviding the best customer

service possible, Roots is rollingout a new initiative called RootsDelivers. The service will beavailable in stores across Canadain September and will beintroduced in ‘Roots 73’ outletlocations next year.

Using a new inventory-tracking program sourced byJames Connell, Senior Directorof E-commerce and New Media,and Robin Nelson, Director ofInformation Technology, staffwill now be able to look up aproduct, confirm its availability,and process the sale, with only afew quick keystrokes. Best of all,thanks to this innovation, itemspurchased through the Roots

After months of planning, Roots will officially launch the Roots Delivers program in stores in SeptemberDELIVERING THE GOODS

Delivers program will then beshipped directly to the custom-er’s home or workplace.

Roots Delivers was firstlaunched in May as a pilotproject in five Toronto-areastores. Over the two months thatfollowed, the success of theproject was closely monitored bySupervisor of Customer Service,Bethany Peckham, who helpstrain staff, track shipping timesand troubleshoot issues. In July,five additional stores in Ontariointroduced the pilot program totheir customers.

“Initially, we chose storesthat were close together to avoidhuge shipping costs and allow usto check for glitches in thesystem,” says Bethany. “Theprogram was designed to check

for availability in participatingstores and, once found, shipitems from the store that isclosest to the customer’s ad-dress.”

Roots Delivers will replacethe current system of store-to-store transfers that can leavecustomers disappointed and stafffrustrated. Using the currentsystem, retail staff check inven-tory counts at the register butmust still call other locations toconfirm availability, as inventorylevels are not updated until theend of the business day.

The new application createsa virtual real-time inventory ofproducts that is updated every15-20 minutes, resulting in amuch more accurate and timelyinventory count. When a productis sold through the RootsDelivers program, a requestautomatically prints at theshipping location while a real-time message flashes across theregister screen to alert staff tothe order.

“The Never Lose a Saleprogram that preceded RootsDelivers allowed staff to com-plete a sale of an item and haveit shipped to a customer’s homefrom another retail location, butit was a stock balancing night-

Roots Delivers will replace thecurrent system of store-to-storetransfers

mare,” says Robin. “By automat-ing inventory counts, thisapplication gives us the ability toalways have the right products,in the right place, at the righttime.”

Shoppers will appreciate theenhanced service because, oncestaff have located the product inthe system, the sale can becompleted immediately, securingthe order and avoiding thepotential for disappointment.Additionally, instead of requiringthe customer to return to thestore to collect his or her order,which can be time consumingand inconvenient, items areshipped to the customer’s homeor work.

The program, which wascustomized to work with existingapplications, such as the RootsRewards program, not onlyenhances customer service at theretail level, it records everysearch performed by sales staff.

“This allows Head Officestaff to review inquiries in thesystem and adjust buyingbehaviour to reflect demand forparticular items,” says JararKazmi, Executive Director ofRetail Operations. “It’s one moreway we’re working to improvecustomer service.”

Roots teams up with “master of denim” French designer Jean Touitou

Over its 37-year history,Roots has always beenhighly selective in what it

puts its stamp on. Not only mustthe product be true to the Rootsaesthetic, it must also exemplifythe quality for which Roots isknown. The latest example is themen’s denim jeans from promi-nent French designer JeanTouitou, founder and owner ofParis-based acclaimed label APC(Atelier de Production et deCreation).

With more than 35 storesaround the world, including inNew York, Hong Kong and LosAngeles, APC is the epitome ofeffortless cool for men andwomen alike. Their simplebasics may look simple on thesurface, but are the result of anobsessive, painstaking process.The collaboration is not a first

IN THESE JEANS

for Touitou, who has workedwith Roots several times in thepast and is a long-time friend of

Roots Co-Founder Don Green.Roots Denim Jeans by Jean

Touitou are made of premium

Japanese denim (a currentfavourite among denim connois-seurs) and are available in twostyles: straight leg and slimstraight. While most denimcompanies have abandonedtraditional production techniquesand dyes, APC uses dry orunwashed denim, which giveseach pair a distinctive look andfeel.

Selected in 2004 as GQmagazine’s “coolest man inFrance,” Touitou was previouslyan accountant for Kenzo, arecord producer and founder of apreschool in France. Today, he isa distinguished designer with acult-like following around theglobe. The collaboration withRoots reflects the passion andskill of both companies forproducing high quality, longlasting basics.

Touitou’s jeans use Japanese denim, a favourite with fashion connoisseurs


Earlier this summer, whenRoots departed from itsusual nature-inspired

offerings to collaborate withCanadian artist and authorDouglas Coupland on its“Canada goes Electric” collec-tion, the company also gotcreative with its marketingcampaign.

Roots launched a microsite toshowcase the partnership,introduced pop-up stores inToronto and Vancouver, pro-duced a video of Douglasdiscussing his inspiration for thecollection and, most recently,released a viral music/fashionvideo featuring the RootsDouglas Coupland collectionand the Canadian band, TheMost Serene Republic.

Produced by filmmakersAnthony Green and MatthewBudman, the video combinesbehind-the-scenes footage from

Fashion and music go hand-in-hand in a new video featuring clothing from the Roots x Douglas Couplandline and music by The Most Serene Republic

MARCHING TO A DIFFERENT DRUM

a Roots Douglas Couplandphotoshoot with The MostSerene Republic performingtheir song, “Pink Noise” at arecent tour stop in New York.

Anthony began filming thenew collection during a photoshoot last winter but quicklyrealized that a standard behind-the-scenes documentary didn’tgo far enough. He wanted a wayto make the video more interest-ing and relevant to the collec-tion’s target audience of “youngpop people” who may not befamiliar with Douglas’ work asan artist and author but who likethe bright colours and boldstyling of the “Canada goesElectric” line.

That’s when Anthonydecided to set the footage tomusic.

After listening to FantasticImpossibliss, the new album byThe Most Serene Republic,

“Pink Noise” was chosen as theideal soundtrack for the video.

“We wanted to work with aband that was well-establishedbut not too mainstream,” saysAnthony. “We were working on ashort timeline and didn’t want tohave to deal with the red tapethat often comes with a majorrecord label.”

After working out the detailsof the partnership, Anthonyasked a colleague to film theband during a show at TheKnitting Factory in Brooklyn.The footage was then combinedwith material from the photoshoot, including video of stylistPatrick Davis, Outlet VisualCoordinator, performing acontemporary dance solo inDouglas Coupland gear.

Patrick’s involvement in theproject grew out of severalconversations with Anthonyduring the filming of the photo

shoot.“He was so excited about it,

which really put me at ease,”says Patrick. “On the last day ofthe shoot, Anthony asked me toplay any music I wanted and justdance. I planned nothing and justwent for it.”

The result is an innovativecollaboration and a first for bothRoots and The Most SereneRepublic. The eclectic mix ofpop, electronica, R&B andclassical flourishes that dominatethe band’s latest album are inperfect harmony with the punchycolour, bold graphics and classiccuts of the Roots DouglasCoupland collection. Indeed, itwould be difficult to imagine amore appropriate, and Canadian,alliance.

The video is available onlineat www.roots.com/douglascoupland and on theRoots You Tube channel.

Spotlighting the top performing Roots stores in recent months based on their sales resultsGREAT MOMENTS IN RETAIL

Whyte Avenue store: L to R: Brad Hogg, Jenn Smits, Sarah Seeman, Diane Ysmael, ArielKangasniemi and Andrea Chacin. Missing from photo: Gisele Arevalo and Holli Caputo

Before this issue of The Source went to press, wereceived the final sales figures for stores in recent

months. For July, the top company store was the WhyteAvenue location in Edmonton, Alberta. In August, the topstore was the Conestoga Mall location in Waterloo,Ontario.

As for the Roots 73/Outlet category, the CrossIronMills outlet in Rockyview, Alberta was in top spot for July.The Brossard outlet in Quebec came in first for the monthof August.

Congratulations to Jenn Smits, Manager of the WhyteAvenue store; Janine Gordon, Manager of the Conestogastore; Trevor Chambers, Manager of the CrossIron Millsoutlet; Kathya Videl, Manager of the Brossard outlet storeand to their respective teams for their exemplary perform-ances.

Congratulations to all of the other stores that surpassedtheir sales goals in July and August.


In our increasingly digital age,we have come to rely oncomputers to perform many

of our daily tasks, especiallyaround the office. We’ve becomeso dependent on technology thatwithout it, business grinds to ahalt.

That’s exactly what happenedin early July after an explosion ata transformer station cut powerto sections of western Toronto,including the Roots headquar-ters.

The outage, which started ataround 4:45 p.m., sent many ofthe Head Office staff home earlyas the computer, telephone andinternet lines that they depend onfor much of their work wentdead. The outage and resultingwork disruption could have been

much worse had it not been forthe exemplary efforts of theInformation Technology Depart-ment.

Although the office isequipped with a backup powersource, the supply is limited.When IT staff realized that theblackout could last for hours,they manually shut down theoffice’s network servers toprevent damage before headinghome for the evening.

When electricity was finallyrestored four hours later, mem-bers of the IT Dept. sprang intoaction, restarting network serversand troubleshooting connectionproblems.

Network AdministratorAaron Drever took time out ofhis vacation to come in to the

office to start up the servers inan attempt to restore the system.Sergio Gomez, Manager ofTechnical Services, and DanDonnet, Senior NetworkAdministrator, returned to theoffice at 10:30 p.m. to continuepowering up the servers andassess the damage.

“Recovering from a fullblackout in the server room takesa minimum of two to threehours, if there are no issues,”says Director of IT RobinNelson. “If servers are shutdown abruptly due to loss ofpower, it can result in hardwarefailure or operating systemcorruption leading to an evenlonger interruption to business asstaff work to repair the damage.”

In this case, recovery took

Power outage meant little sleep for IT Dept. that worked tirelessly to restore connectivity at Head OfficeA TIMELY RESPONSE

From left to right: Bashir Popal, Nina Khozin, Aaron Drever,Sergio Gomez, Robin Nelson and Dan Donnet

twice as long due to problemswith the internet connection andtelephone system. By 3:30 a.m.phone and internet services wererestored.

Nina Khozin, Manager ofApplication Services, contactedRoots core business applicationvendors and received confirma-tion that data integrity wasintact. Bashir Popal, SeniorBusiness Analyst, arrived onsiteat 5:30 a.m. to ensure that day-end processes were completed asnormal and that there was nodelay for the start of the nextbusiness day.

As a result of their hardwork, the outage caused minimaldisruption for retail stores andHead Office employees whowere back to work the followingday.

This isn’t the first poweroutage to affect Roots offices. InAugust 2003, power wasinterrupted for 12 hours necessi-tating similar action by ITstaffers.

“I’m proud of my team andthe incredible job they didrecovering from this situation,”says Robin. “I’m duly impressedby their resilience gettingthrough the following day withso little sleep.”

What do Yves SaintLaurent, ProenzaSchouler, Alexander

Wang and Douglas Couplandhave in common? They are allcritically acclaimed designersnow sharing space in one of thetrendiest and most successfulconcept stores in the world. Inearly fall, the Roots DouglasCoupland collection will makeits exclusive European debut atcolette, a preeminent styleemporium in Paris.

The Roots Coupland collec-tion is a part of colette’s spot-light on Canada featuring severalwell-known brands. Along withRoots, outerwear companiesCanada Goose and Sorel will befeatured during the month-longcampaign.

“When I saw that DouglasCoupland had done this collec-

Celebrated boutique in Paris showcases Roots Douglas Coupland CollectionTRES CHIC, N’EST-CE PAS?

tion with Roots, I could notbelieve it,” says Sarah Lerfel,Creative Director and Buyer ofcolette. “It was too good to betrue.”

With the assistance ofMelinda McDonald, VP ofWholesale and Business Devel-opment, select pieces will beshown beginning in September.An in-store cocktail partycelebrating the initiative will beheld in Paris on September 7.

The theme of the RootsDouglas Coupland collabora-tion is “Canada goes Elec-tric.” Inspired by the coun-try’s history in telecommuni-cations, the line makes use ofseveral emblems including abeaver, colour bars, circuitboards, transmission towers,satellites and airplanes. Itdebuted in Canada in early

July and was a departure fromthe nature-inspired offerings forwhich Roots is traditionallyknown. It has proven quitesuccessful and received consid-erable Canadian and interna-tional media coverage, includingin The New York Times in the USand The Guardian in the UK.

Coupland’s work with Rootsmarks his first foray into fashiondesign. The collection’s presenceat such an exclusive boutique as

colette proved quite gratifyingfor Coupland, as he is knownmore for his books and visualart.

“Colette is at the cutting edgeof modern culture, fashion,design, music and art,” saysCoupland. “What an honour tobe invited there to see the view –and maybe also be a part of theview as well.”

Opened in 1997, colette hasbeen described as a “stylemecca” and a go-to shoppingdestination in France. Shopperscan find creations from designersranging from high end to massmarket.

Coupland fans on this side ofthe ocean still have the opportu-nity to purchase the line at selectRoots stores and online atwww.roots.com/douglascoupland.

Colette store window featuring Roots


DROP ITOFF:From cellphones,MP3playersandwatches,to

laptops, power tools andgame boys, batteries are aninescapable part of everydaylife. But whether they’resingle-use or rechargeable,batteries have a finite lifespan– after which they becomehazardous household waste.

Discarded batteriescontain toxic substances suchas lead and mercury, whichcan leach into the environ-ment, contaminate watersupplies and potentially harmhumans who rely ongroundwater for drinking.

The good news? Virtuallyall batteries are recyclable –and recyclers can recovervaluable metals. So what canyou do to make sure yourbatteries get a second life?Don’t toss them in thegarbage.

If you live in Ontario, visitStewardship Ontario’s OrangeDrop program website atwww.makethedrop.ca tolocate your local recyclingfacility or a collection eventnear you. Hundreds ofretailers also act as “DropZones” as part of the OrangeDrop program, so batteryrecycling often involves nomore than a quick trip to yourlocal mall.

Batteries aren’t the onlythings you can recyclethrough the Orange Dropprogram: additional municipalhousehold hazardous andspecial waste items acceptedat Orange Drop locationsinclude pressurized contain-ers such as propane; aerosolsprays such as hairspray andair freshener; fluorescenttubes and bulbs; fertilizer;paint; and unused pharma-ceuticals.

For residents outside ofOntario: similar programsexist in most provinces.Check with your local wastemanagement branch to findout how you can do your partto keep hazardous waste outof landfills.• Source: www.makethedrop.ca

Easy ways to help theenvironment

GREEN TIP #61

It’s no wonder Newfoundlandand Labrador are becomingan increasingly popular

destination for travelers fromaround the world. Perched on theeastern edge of Canada, they arehome to breathtaking landscapesand extremely hospitable people.

So, when photographer IlichMejia and Creative StylistPatrick Davis discussed the ideaof rolling green hills and greycoastlines as the ideal backdropfor the new fall campaign,Creative Producer Diane Baldknew right away where to find it.

Diane had fallen in love withNewfoundland after attending anart class there in 2009. When thenotion of a coastal photoshootcame up, she immediatelysuggested Port Rexton, a smallfishing town 250 km north of St.John’s. In the end, Trinity Bight,an area that encompasses 12

small communities includingPort Rexton, was selected as thelocation for the shoot.

The Roots team took to thehighlands and seashore in lateJune to shoot the new fallcollection. Although previousRoots campaigns have takencrews to such far away locales asVancouver, Los Angeles, Floridaand Jamaica, shooting in New-foundland presented its ownunique challenges due to dra-matic, unpredictable shifts in theweather. The heavy grey mistthat coloured Diane’s visit a yearago came and went with inter-mittent periods of bright sun andfreezing temperatures.

Despite the vagaries ofnature, the crew – includingProduction Manager LynneHardy, Contributing DirectorDon Standfield and StylistMarieve Tremblay – did a

stellar job.“The crew for this shoot

was amazing,” says Diane. “Itwas the best I’ve ever workedwith. What could have easilytaken two weeks was accom-plished in five days.”

As an added dimension tothe fall campaign,videographer Rylan Perryaccompanied the crew toshoot a video highlighting theRoots footwear line.

“We wanted a videocomponent for the websitethat would capture the feelingand experience of the shoot,”says Rylan.

While Ilich took all of thephotos, Rylan filmed themodels for a music video nowavailable on the Rootswebsite. The summer cam-paign will feature shots of thehighlands, with the fallcampaign focusing more onthe coast.

Observant viewers maynotice a familiar emblem inthe campaign – the officialtourism logo for Newfound-land and Labrador.

“We are working with theNewfoundland and Labradortourism office to promote theprovince across Canada,” saysJames Connell, SeniorDirector of Digital Marketingand New Media. “We felt it

gave more authenticity to thecampaign and reinforced theconnection Roots has toCanada.”

The fall campaign hasalready caught the attention ofthe press in Newfoundland thatseem pleased to see theirprovince featured so prominentlyin a national advertising cam-paign.

Fans closer to home werequick to praise as well. Long-time friend of Roots and IndigoCEO, Heather Reisman, saidthat this was the best Rootsphotoshoot she’s ever seen.

Expect to see the results ofthis shoot continuing well intothe fall in a variety of magazinesand newspapers as well as Rootsstores. The online version willalso include a music video set onthe coast, which will be postedas of mid-September.

ATLANTIC MAGICRoots draws inspiration from the Eastern moors for its fall campaign

An image from the new Roots fall campaign, “Exploring Our Roots,”shot in Trinity Bight, Newfoundland


While it’s always impor-tant to make a shoppingenvironment friendly

and accommodating for custom-ers, sometimes special dayswarrant special effects. Earlierthis summer, two Ottawa storeswent beyond the call of dutywhen they hosted a party inhonour of Canada’s 143rd

birthday.It all began with Sidney

McLennan, Manager of theRideau Centre and WilliamStreet stores in downtownOttawa. When she askedMitchell Borutski, Manager ofthe Bayshore store across town,if he would be interested inworking on Canada Day, wordquickly spread to other Rootsstores in the capital that wouldbe closed for the holiday.Employees from key holders tomanagers responded overwhelm-ingly, offering to help out byworking at the two downtownstores that would be open onJuly 1.

The plan was to turn the twostores into big Canada Dayparties. Decked out in Rootsclothing with balloons, facepaint and refreshments in hand,the Ottawa team made theshopping experience for custom-ers a highly festive, fun-filledevent. They also invited JararKazmi, Executive Director ofRetail Operations to participatein the event.

“Walking outside in a sea ofpeople was a little chaotic,” saysSidney, “but it was amazing tosee how many people came outto celebrate Canada’s birthday. Itreminded me of working inVancouver during the Olym-pics.”

The party did more thancelebrate Canada’s birthday asthe staff decided to collectdonations from face painting.Proceeds from the celebrationswent to the Ottawa HumaneSociety, for whom local Rootsstores have raised funds onseveral occasions this past year.

Ottawa stores come together to throw a party for a wonderful occasionHAPPY BIRTHDAY CANADA!

Saluting those who gothe distance

STAYING POWER

It’s little surprise that at Roots we have a soft spot for beavers. Hard not to when this quintessential symbolof Canada is also the emblem of your company.

Recently, Jeremy Creed, a longtime friend of Roots, sent us this photo of an eager beaver who hadtaken to a golf course in search of twigs and branches for his next project. The resourceful rodent seems tohave found what he was looking for.

As always, we invite you to submit photos that you’d like us to consider for publication in The Source.Please send them to: [email protected]

You never know where you’ll find him nextEAGER BEAVER TEES OFF

Maria Arcelina Dos Santos,Leather Jacket Cutter, 25 yearsMaria Dias, Leather Table Work, 20yearsGrinoalda Moco, Leather Stitcher,20 yearsMaria Moreira, Leather Cutter, 20yearsHien Chau, Leather Table Work, 15yearsRina Palumbo, Keyholder, 15yearsMaria Rogalska, Leather Stitcher,15 yearsHaley Silk, Keyholder, 15 yearsCarol Aiello, Assistant Manager, 10yearsJanice Blair, Store SystemsSupport Analyst, 10 yearsKim Butcher, Keyholder, 10 yearsHeidi Gallagher, Store Manager,10 yearsDenise Hosking, Store Manager,10 yearsDonna Neil, Sales Associate, 10yearsJaswinder Phull, DC Administra-tion, 10 yearsCathy Allison, Keyholder, 5 yearsDonna Illsley, Store Manager, 5yearsAmman Sandhu, Keyholder, 5yearsMaria Jose Silva, Leather TableWork, 5 yearsKaren Simpson, Sales Associate,5 yearsMallory Wheeler, Keyholder, 5yearsEdgar Zarzoso, Keyholder, 5 years

The Ottawa team paints the storered for a big Canada Day party


FINE PRINT

Here are somerecent sightingsof Roots in thepages ofnewspapers andmagazines:

A selection of coverageof Roots in the media

Each year, many Canadianslose sleep worrying aboutloved ones diagnosed with

cancer. Employees from twoRoots stores in Toronto(Scarborough and BayviewVillage) know the feeling welland they refuse to take it lyingdown.

In June, staff took to thestreets in Scarborough toparticipate in the CanadianCancer Society’s Relay for Life.This is the 10th year that storemanager Janet Braam(Scarborough) has participatedin the 12-hour overnight relayevent. Janet initially becameinvolved when a former col-

Employees pull an all-nighter to raise money for cancer researchTAKING TO THE STREETS

league who volunteered with theCanadian Cancer Society (CCS)approached her to suggest sheform a team.

Although at first she did notpersonally know anyone affectedby cancer, it didn’t take long forthe event to take on a morepersonal meaning. By the timethe walk took place later thatspring, her sister-in-law had beendiagnosed with breast cancer.Since then, Janet has also litcandles for her father, uncles andan aunt at the Relay’s duskceremony to honour survivorsand remember loved ones lost tothe disease.

Janet began working on the

steering committee to helporganize the event in 2001 andwas joined a year later by fellowRoots employee Ellie Thiessen(Bayview Village). The paircontinued to sit on the steeringcommittee for the next five yearsand were recognized for theirefforts by the CCS through anumber of awards.

This year, Janet and Elliewere joined by Jennifer Boydand Kayla Margues, (also ofRoots Scarborough) along withEllie and Kayla’s mothers, whowere both cancer survivors, andteam mascot Bailey the dog. Theteam raised $1,870 under thename Always the Bridesmaids,Never the Brides.

Colleagues from the RootsScarborough store arrived late inthe evening to show their supportfor their co-workers.

“We walk to honour thosewho have lost their battle withthe disease and get our strengthfrom those among us who aresurvivors,” says Janet. “It is anemotional but fulfilling way toshow Roots cares.”

Funds raised by the eventsupport the CCS’s mission toeradicate cancer and enhance thequality of life for Canadiansliving with cancer throughresearch projects, informationservices, support programs andpublic advocacy.

Back row l to r:Ellie, Jenn, Janetand Kayla; front rowl to r: Bailey thedog, Ellie’s momand Kayla’s mom

Every day, three moreCanadians are diagnosedwith Multiple Sclerosis

(MS). Although researchers aremaking progress in their quest tounderstand the condition,doctors and scientists are still

Scarborough store employees take co-worker’s diagnosis in strideMAKING TRACKS

struggling to determine whatcauses MS.

In April, Roots Scarboroughkeyholders Spencer Hayes andKarla Capili participated in theMultiple Sclerosis Society ofCanada’s MS Walk. This is the

first year that store employeeshave participated in the eventand the first time that Spencerand Karla have had a personalconnection to the cause: long-time Roots Sales Associate andmother of six Natalie Dawoodwas diagnosed with MS earlierthis year.

Natalie’s recent diagnosismade participation in the eventparticularly meaningful to boththe staff at Roots Scarboroughand her children who joinedSpencer and Karla to collectmore than $700 in pledges forthe Multiple Sclerosis Society ofCanada.

The money will be used tohelp fund research for a cure forMS and deliver vital services topeople with the disease.

• Chatelaine, Sept. Spotlight onOlivia Bag in red and MiniSatchel in black.• Canadian Living, Sept. Frenchtote appears in the latest issue.• Montreal Gazette, September14. Story on silver mentions“Centennial” Jacket from Roots xDouglas Coupland collection.• Toronto Life, Sept. Spotlighton Gretzky Jacket and DouglasCoupland Messenger Bag.• Now magazine, Aug. 26.Gretzky Jacket featured in back-to-school special.• Now magazine, Aug. 19. BanffBag in tribe leather featured.• Cityline, Aug. 18. Satchelsfeatured in segment withNational Post editor NathalieAtkinson.• Famous, Aug. Spotlight onToronto Tote.• Chatelaine, Aug. Spotlight onover-the-knee Tribe Boots.• BlogTO, July. Interview withMichael Budman.• The Georgia Straight, July 21.Interview with Douglas Couplandabout his collection for Roots.• Azure, July 20. Story spotlightsRoots x Douglas Coupland pop-up shop in Toronto.• The Guardian (UK), July 14.Article mentions Roots x DouglasCoupland Collection.• Flare.com, July. Spotlight onRoots x Douglas CouplandCollection.• Where Toronto, July. TheCanada Village Bag appears aspart of ‘Oh Canada’ round-up.• Hamilton Spectator, July 13.“Coupland’s latest chapter”features Roots DouglasCoupland collection.• Fashion Television, July 11.Feature on Roots Couplandcollaboration, shot at the HeadOffice.• Metro, July 8. Interview withDouglas Coupland on Rootscollaboration.• Toronto Star, July 8. Articlehighlights Roots and DouglasCoupland.• Etalk, July 8. Segment onRoots x Douglas Couplandlaunch party.• ET Canada, July 8. Segmenton Roots Douglas CouplandCollection filmed at Rosedalestore.• Westender, July 1. Storyhighlighting collaborationbetween Roots and DouglasCoupland.• Vitamin Daily, June 30.Spotlight on Canada nightshirt.• Flare.com, June 23. UnionCollection featured in “World CupFashion Fever” spread. - Compiled by Nadia Malik

Roots Scarborough employees raise $700 for the MS Society of Canada


NEW & NOTEWORTHYA guide to just-launched Roots products

Diane’s Motorcycle Jacket inRustler Leather, Hot Chocolate,$448

Juliette T-Shirt,White, $38

Mini SoftSaddlein RustlerLeather,Denim, $118

Village Satchel Rustler Leather, Denim, $188The Satchel with Gold Hardware, Prince Leather,Black, $198

Saddle Pack inVintage TribeLeather, Africa,$248

Venetian Satchel Rustler Leather,Khaki Green, $148

Scuba Hoody,Red, $98

City Duffle Coat,Blue Night, $218

Cable KnitPonchoSweater, VintageWhite, $128

Gemma CapriSweatshirt, Salt& Pepper, $98


NEW & NOTEWORTHYA guide to just-launched Roots products

TutorBackpack,Black, $58

Men’s Slimfold with RemovableFlap in Tribe Leather, Africa, $49.95

Men’sPrestigeWatch Silver,$100

Hudson’s FlannelShirt, CharcoalMix, $58

York Down-FilledJacket, Grey, $225

Radcliffe LongSleeve, Red, $39

Western Sachel, Tribe Leather, Africa, $288

Kaslo AlpacaFull Zip Sweater,Black, $128

Comox ZipPullover,Grey, $60

Selkirk Full ZipHoody, EstateBlue, $80

Thurlow CrewPullover, Slate,$75


Few people know leather theway Andy McCurbindoes. As the resident

leather specialist at the Torontoflagship store, he not onlyunderstands what goes into themaking of Roots leather goods,he also knows how to sell them.

Andy’s affable personalityhelps of course, allowing him todevelop an instant rapport withpeople. With his trademarkwarm welcome and genuinedesire to assist customers, Andyis a popular figure in the store.

Since joining Roots in 1985,Andy has worked on a widerange of projects. He was on theground floor when the companybegan its customized leathergoods program with jackets andinitialed handbags. It has sincegrown to include most items inthe leather line-up.

Andy also plays a prominentrole at the biannual Roots trunkshows, taking fashion editorsthrough the company’s latestcollection of leather goods. Hecan also be found online along-side designer Diane Bald at theRoots School of Leather atwww.rootsleather.com. The siteserves as a practical resource forcustomers, with videos of Dianeand Andy discussing varioustopics ranging from Rootsleather craftsmanship to at-

Andy McCurbin shares his love and knowledge of Roots leather goods with customers and colleaguesTHE LEATHER MAN’S PASSION

With more communicationmoving offline toonline, it was only a

matter of time until literarydiscussions made a similartransition. For the first time in its37-year history, Roots launcheda book club, held on the compa-ny’s Facebook page.

The Roots Book Club isdesigned to connect book loverswith thought-provoking Cana-dian literature. Continuing therecent collaboration betweenRoots and Douglas Coupland,the Digital Marketing team hasselected Coupland’s GenerationA as the first novel for discus-sion.

“From my research, therearen’t many book clubs onFacebook,” says Katherine

Roots continues to reach new heights with the launch of its first book club on FacebookLET’S GIVE THEM SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT

Wellman, Digital MarketingCoordinator and moderator ofthe club. “By having a book clubon Facebook, we attract adifferent crowd that isn’t con-fined to a neighbourhood or anestablished group.”

Generation A evokes the titleof Coupland’s acclaimed 1991bestseller, Generation X. Set inthe future when bees are extinct,Generation A follows fiveindividuals who are stung indifferent places around theworld. In 2009, it was nominatedfor the Rogers Writers’ TrustFiction Prize alongside notableCanadian authors such as AliceMunro and Annabel Lyon.

Facebook users can join theclub by signing up on the RootsFacebook page where they will

receive weekly chapters and newdiscussion topics. Book Clubmembers can participate incontests to win prizes, such as

tributes of the leather. There’seven a virtual tour of the Rootsleather factory.

Along with his duties inToronto, Andy recently em-barked on a cross-country tour totrain sales associates on leatherproduct knowledge. The coursecovers the making of Rootsleather products, special orders,sales techniques, customer

incentives, and the importance ofbuilding clientele.

For all his considerableknowledge about and passion forleather, Andy also makes hispresence felt in other ways. Hecan be heard in all of the compa-ny’s stores as the smooth voiceof Roots Radio. He frequentlyemcees product launches andother Roots special events.

Andy, who moved to Canadafrom his native Jamaica in 1978,began his career at Roots inToronto as a salesperson at theYorkdale store. He was hired byRima Biback, now Director ofLicensees and Roots Home.

“Upon meeting Andy, I sawsomething in his personality thatwould be phenomenal andlasting for Roots,” says Rima.“He’s so connected to hiscustomers that they seek him out.They know he’ll give themexactly what they are lookingfor, be it a leather jacket or acustomized handbag. There’s noone that represents Roots betterin a store than Andy.”

Being a part of what he calls“the family at Roots” helpsexplain his long-standing tenurewith the company.

“The Kowalewski family,Rima Biback and, of course,Michael and Don embraced mefrom day one,” says Andy. “TheKowalewskis are artisans whohave mentored me and helpeddevelop my passion for leather.”

Despite his many years atRoots, Andy’s enthusiasm for hisjob remains unwavering.

“When I get up in themorning, I still feel that passionfor this place and the work I do,”says Andy. “It’s the Roots familythat makes all the difference.”

copies of Generation A andRoots travel pouches. As of earlySeptember, the Book Clubboasted a membership of 70people, including several Rootsstaff.

With the help of TanjaZelko, Manager of DigitalMarketing and Online CustomerExperience, the Book Club is offto a great start. “BecauseFacebook is so social, we can geta lot of different perspectivesand interpretations of the book,”says Katherine. “It has so manydifferent characters that wouldgenerate a lot of responsesamong our members.”

If the club continues to grow,readers can expect to discuss awide variety of Canadianliterature into the fall season.

Contest winner Glenda S. withher free copy of Generation A

Andy McCurbin wears many hats at Roots from leather specialist tothe voice of Roots Radio and emcee of special events


After 37 years of producinghigh quality leather goodsand athletic wear, staging

countless special events andsupporting diverse cultural andphilanthropic work, Roots has alot to be proud of. Now, thecompany is embarking on anambitious project to do justice toits heritage. With the help ofArchivist Eva Lee, what wasonce a hodge-podge accumula-tion of old documents, photo-graphs and memorabilia is beingtransformed into an organizedarchival system.

Based at the Roots LeatherFactory in Toronto, where thecollection is housed, Eva beganthe lengthy process in March.She found everything frombinders of yellowing newspaperclippings to vintage leathergoods, to boxes of old photo-graphs and even a few pairs oforiginal negative heel shoes.

Eva started the project as astudent intern while studying fora Masters degree in InformationStudies at the University ofToronto. After completing aBachelors degree in Architectureand Art History, followed by fiveyears as an Educator at theMcMichael Canadian ArtCollection in Toronto, andexperience working as a photoarchivist and librarian at theUniversity of Toronto, Evaknows how to create order out ofchaos.

She officially joined the

Archivist Eva Lee puts her great diligence to good use as she brings order to Roots historyMAKING THE PAST COME ALIVE

Roots team as a full-timearchivist in June and has madesignificant progress siftingthrough the mountains ofdocuments and objects housed atthe factory. But there’s still a lotof work to be done.

Until recently, the archives –if one could really call it that –consisted of two rooms packedto the ceiling with boxes, bindersand garment racks.

“We’ve been keeping thingsfor years,” says Roots Co-Founder Michael Budman.“Now we have the space toorganize and preserve it prop-erly. Neither Don [Green] nor Ilike to dwell on the past. Weprefer to look to the future, butwe can’t forget our history.”

With the help of intern AlixKempf, Eva began by construct-ing workstations for documentprocessing, creating inventorylist standards and templates, andimplementing strict guidelinesfor the handling and storage ofarchival material. The inventoryprocess allowed Eva to get abetter idea of the scope of theproject and organize the generalcollection.

Clad in white archivalgloves, Eva spends her daysplaying detective as she scoursposters and photographs fordates, places and familiar faces.Armed with her ever-presentnotebook, she moves from boxto box jotting down observa-tions, cross-referencing items

and recording the inputof her regular stream ofvisitors.

Once she completesthe painstaking work ofrecording all of the items,Eva will develop a planto organize, preserve andstore the material so thatit can be used for re-search, outreach, anddisplay. Documents,photographs and filmswill be digitized to makethem more accessible andclothing, original art-work, and other objectswill be carefully stored inacid-free boxes andgarment bags. Although itwill take some time tobring the archives up tostandard, Eva hopes to

gather enough items and infor-mation to put together a mu-seum-quality exhibition.

“The biggest challenge willbe linking things together,” saysEva. “I’ll find a T-shirt that wascreated for a particular event, aposter advertising the event andan article clipped from a news-paper about the event and theyall have to be tied together insome way. Organizing andconnecting items in inventorylists and reference guides willprobably take the bulk of thetime once the physical boxeshave been sorted and arranged.”

Most people have some formof archives at home, but they justdon’t realize it; Whether it’sphotos, home movies or memo-rabilia. But there still aren’tmany corporate archives,especially among retail compa-nies.

“With so many baby boomersnearing retirement, manycompanies are now seeing thevalue of creating and maintain-ing an internal archives as a wayto preserve company memoriesand heritage,” says Eva. “Youcan only remember so much, so,like in families, if events andmilestones aren’t documentedbefore people retire or move on,they are essentially lost.”

While all the items in theRoots archives tell us somethingabout the company’s longhistory, it’s the photographs thatEva finds particularly captivating.

“Photographs tell you somuch about people and places,”says Eva. “I especially like thephotos of old stores and ofMichael and Don modelingRoots clothing.”

So far, she has uncoveredphotos of the Jamaican bobsledteam in their Roots uniforms atthe 1988 Calgary Olympics andcopies of Indian Summer, a 1993film based on Michael and Don’sexperiences at Camp Tamakwa.But perhaps her most timelydiscovery was a selection oforiginal Roots Natural Footwearcatalogues, pamphlets and careinstructions from the 1970s.Visuals from the cataloguesfeature prominently in thecurrent Roots fall shoe cam-paign.Eva Lee makes sense of Roots memorabilia for the new archives

Easy ways to stay healthyHEALTH TIP #58

BRUSH-ING ISNOTENOUGH:Momalwayssaid, “Anapple a

day keeps the doctor away.” Butwhat about the dentist? If youplan to spend your later yearseating more than justapplesauce, invest in somedental floss.

No matter how thoroughly orhow long you brush, a tooth-brush alone can’t reachbetween your teeth. So if youdon’t floss you’re missing agood portion of your teeth’s totalsurface. That’s like washing onearmpit after a workout.

Brushing and flossing areessential for reducing thenumber of bacteria in ourmouth. Left unchecked, bacteriafeast on food particles remain-ing on teeth, producing acid thateats away tooth enamel tocreate cavities and volatilesulfur compounds that causeembarrassing bad breath.

But the dangers of notflossing go beyond just goodhygiene: Plaque and tartar thatbuild up between teeth cancause gingivitis, tooth decayand can lead to gum disease.According to cardiologists, thebacteria that linger betweenyour teeth even after brushingcan also increase your risk ofheart disease.• Source: What Works: Dr. Oz’s25 Greatest Men’s Health Tips,by Dr. Mehmet Oz


STARTING LINEUPIntroducing the people who make it happen at Roots stores

SPEAK TO MY AGENTThe littlest customers show their Roots

We often receive unsolicited photosfrom people eager to show uspictures of their children, cousins,

grandchildren, or even pets, wearing Roots.Sometimes the senders ask if we could usethe photos in a future advertising campaignfor Roots. We can’t promise that, but we arehappy to publish them in The Source.

As part of our continuing series of team pictures from the Roots retail family, this issue of The Source is spotlight-ing the New Sudbury Centre store in Sudbury, Ontario. Back row left to right: Janelle Lemieux, Sylvie Beaulieu,Brigitte Landriault and Jeannette Fortin. Front row left to right: Kelsey Hurd, Jamie Zahorouski and VanessaKeetch. Missing from picture: Kirsten Goggins, Patty Cuomo, Jordan Moulaison and Chantal Gaudreau.

Everyone is welcome to submit their favouriteshots to be considered for publication. Pleasesend your pictures to [email protected].

Be sure to include the name and age of eachchild or pet in the photo, where it was taken,place of residence and a sentence stating thatyou agree for the photos to be used in TheSource.

Big developments in thelives of Roots staff

MOMENTS THATMATTER

Jennifer Dwivedi, MediaCoordinator and Translator atRoots, (currently on maternityleave), welcomed a new babyboy, Milan Montgomery Dwivedi,on June 26, 2010.

Sabastian Szolcsanyi, 7 years,with brothers Lilah, 9 months

and Asher, 5 years, Toronto

Sean Vicary, Sr. GraphicDesigner and wife Valeriewelcomed a new baby girl, AlisonVicary, on July 2, 2010.

Kim Court-Hampton, ExecutiveAssistant to Roots Co-Founders(on maternity leave), welcomed anew baby girl, Hannah RoseCourt-Hampton on August 24,2010.

Hearty congratulations to allthe above on these greatmoments in their lives


MUSICAL ROOTSThis month, we spotlight Arcade Fire, the Canadian band burning up the international charts

CHEF’S CORNERRoots-friendly recipes for a healthy diet and to bring pleasure to your palate

ROOTS RADIO RECOMMENDSA list of the top CDs worth noting this month

For this issue’s Chef’sCorner, we present arecipe for making the

Adrenaline Shake that willkeep you bright-eyed andbushy-tailed, even if you’renot a morning-person.

Forget all those pre-made breakfast mealreplacements, this fast andeasy smoothie has every-thing you need for a com-plete breakfast on-the-go,even your morning coffee!

INGREDIENTS:½ cup cold coffee1 banana1 cup plain yogurt1 tbsp honey1 cup ice

DIRECTIONS:1. Place all of the ingredients ina blender and blend untilsmooth.2. Pour into a travel cup, grabyour keys and dash out the door.Makes one serving.• www.foodnetwork.ca

You know there is somethingspecial about a band whenit can take on teen

heartthrob-du-jour Justin Bieberand win. That’s exactly whatCanadian band Arcade Fire didearlier this summer when theirthird album The Suburbsdebuted at #1 on the U.S.Billboard Top 200 Album Chart,selling 156,000 copies in oneweek. Making the achievementeven more impressive, the album

also captured top spot of boththe Canadian and UK charts inthe same week.

Counting a wide array ofartists as influences includingNeil Young, The Beatles andBjork, Arcade Fire begancreating an infectious mix ofbossa nova, punk, and classically

tinged pop music in the early2000s. Propelled by lead singerWin Butler’s quavering vocalsand his bandmates’ symphonicmelodies, a self-titled EP helpedearn the band a deal with MergeRecords in 2003.

After the deaths of severalfamily members in late 2003, theMontreal band sought solace inthe recording studio, which ledto their debut album Funeral.Released in September 2004, it

was met with unanimous com-mercial and critical acclaim.Soon, Arcade Fire found them-selves a near constant presenceon the road, playing such high-profile festivals as Lollapaloozaand Coachella in between a slewof smaller club dates.

Following an exhausting year

of promoting Funeral, ArcadeFire decamped to a churchoutside Montreal to work on asecond release. The ambitiousNeon Bible arrived in March2007, peaking at number twoand sparking another tour thatsaw the band play more than 120shows that year. Their effortspaid off in 2008 when they wonthe Juno Award for AlternativeAlbum of the Year.

Apart from the stage, ArcadeFire is heavily involved withcharitable organizations. Thispast summer, fellow Arcade Firesinger Regine Chassagnelaunched Kanpe, a Haitian reliefcharity aimed at drawingattention to the plight of hernative country. To show theirsupport of Partners in Health, anorganization striving for globalhealth equity, the band donated$1.00, £1.00 or €1,00 of every

ticket sold from their 2007-2008Neon Bible tour.

In 2008, the band playedseveral shows in support of USpresidential candidate BarackObama before beginning to workon a third album. The result, TheSuburbs, is an eclectic 16-trackode to childhood, suburbansprawl, and middle-class dreamsboth won and lost.

With a rating of 86% univer-sal acclaim on critic website,Metacritic, The Suburbs hasgenerated continued praise forArcade Fire. And rightfully so.Any band that can make instru-ments like the accordion,glockenspiel, hurdy-gurdy andorgan cool definitely has some-thing interesting going on.

- Davin Bujalski• To hear the music of Arcade Fire,listen to Roots Radio. For more onArcade Fire, go to: www.arcadefire.com

1. Drake - Thank Me Later2. Arcade Fire - The Suburbs3. She & Him - Volume 24. Ray LaMontagne & The PariahDogs - God Willin’ & The Creek Don’tRise5. Marvin Gaye - The Very Best ofMarvin Gaye

Since their debut in 2003, Arcade Fire continues to generate impressivesales and legions of fans around the world

sept / oct 2010

Documents

roots store

source issue

world of roots issue

roots canadaltd

roots asa store

white bag

bag thatwould

village bag