The Collective is St. Albert’s youth hub. Located downtown on St. Thomas Street, the city-owned and operated building acts as an access point for services directed to youth 15 to 24. While city staff occupy the space at the back of the 2,500 square-foot building, the front houses a marketplace where young entrepreneurs can display their wares and develop their business skills.
Currently, there are three businesses occupying the space, which doubles as a meeting place for groups like BAM in the evenings.
Proper Clothing
Who: Five friends, Zack Cooper-Black, Foster Rae, Danjuma Mba, Shane Green and Theo Tahririha, founded the company. They call themselves the Proper Lads.
What: Streetwear with purpose. Five per cent of every purchase is put towards a scholarship to support young entrepreneurs.
When: Over the summer. The group contemplated starting a skateboard company, but opted for clothing instead.
Why: The Proper Lads started out as a fun name for a larger group of friends. It was the name of a Facebook conversation used to communicate while backpacking through Europe, but it has since taken on new meaning with the clothing line.
“It’s a bit of an oxymoron for the way millennials are thought about,” explained Mba. “I own three businesses now, but I have dreads. I wore my pants low in high school so somebody might not view me as somebody who cares about the world or wants to give back to my community. I’m still a good individual, even if I’m not society’s idea of proper.”
The founders wanted to flip the idea of lazy, self-absorbed millennials on its head by doing some good and investing in other young entrepreneurs.
Their philosophy is that dreams should only be restricted by ambition – not financial barriers. They hope to create an international movement.
How (to live the Proper Life): Visit The Collective in downtown St. Albert or shop online at properlife.ca.
Applications for the scholarship will be posted to the website shortly. The lads are looking for ideas that will make an impact.
Mia Ohki Illustrations
Who: St. Albert native Mia Okhi, 21, is a psychology student completing her degree through Athabasca University. She is also a budding illustrator.
What: Emotionally driven, black-pen-on-white artwork.
When: After taking a step back from illustrating in post-secondary, Ohki was inspired by Phoenix, Arizona’s vibrant art scene and began to illustrate colouring book pages.
Why: After colouring books came stickers, and most recently murals. Okhi’s work can be seen at Naan-O-Licious on Whyte Avenue, as well as in The Collective’s own storefront. (She illustrated the window decal.)
Illustrating is Ohki’s way of dealing with anxiety. The emotionally driven nature of her work originally gave her pause, but changing attitudes towards local art has motivated her to share her talent, even if that means sharing her vulnerabilities.
“Now that it seems that more people are accepting of local art and artists in the community it’s a good way to show people who I am,” she said.
How (she views women in traditionally male-dominated careers): Ohki is also behind the movement called No Auto-Pilot, or N.A.P., which encourages female empowerment in unconventional careers. Check out the collection of stories of young women following their own path, as well as Ohki’s work, at miaohki.com.
Hippy Flip
Who: Danjuma Mba, a 21-year-old fourth year business admin student at Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Ariz., is a self-professed “serial entrepreneur.” The former St. Albert resident is finishing his degree through distance education and can usually be found at The Collective.
What: St. Albert’s first consignment shop.
When/Why: Mba started by partnering with local artists to give them a space to sell their work without paying the high insurance premiums associated with a brick-and-mortar shop. But given art doesn’t sell as quickly, he needed to supplement the business somehow.
“I figured if I did clothing as well it would help supplement my art costs, that way I could keep helping the artists in the community and the clothing would pay my living expenses,” he said.
Mba is also interested in partnering with smaller businesses and entrepreneurs to sell their products.
“It’s a bit of an in-between spot for those who aren’t ready to pay the insurance or start their own business yet,” he said.
How (can you take part): Consigners sign an agreement with Hippy Flip. Items are listed for 30 days and promoted on social media. After 14 days the price is reduced by 25 per cent.
The consigner gets 50 per cent of the revenue from the sale. Any unsold items can be reclaimed or will be donated to charity by Hippy Flip.
Art sales work a little differently. It’s a 70/30 split, with the artist taking home the majority of the profits. Contracts last 30 days, but prices are not reduced.
