Yukon entrepreneur turns passion for reuse into busy sewing and repair store

There's a demand for sewing and repair services in Whitehorse, and Karin Martinez is trying her best to meet it.

"It's very busy right now," Martinez says with a laugh. "I'm working a lot."

Martinez is the owner of Renueva, a sewing and consignment store.

She's celebrating her one-year anniversary in the store's current location on Fourth Avenue — a much bigger space than the one she rented on Main Street for two years before that. 

That's my contribution to humanity.- Karin Martinez, Owner of Renueva

Renueva, which means "renew" in Spanish, is an appropriate name for a business dedicated to reusing and repairing. Martinez does sewing, alterations and all manner of clothing and shoe repairs, as well as selling consignment clothing. 

Martinez said her motivation is to keep things out of the landfill — even if it means she doesn't make very much money.

"Because I like to help the planet, I don't charge a lot, even if it takes me a lot of time," she said.

"I like to have the opportunity to fix [items] so they don't have to throw it [out]. That's my contribution to humanity."

A little help from a landlord

Martinez, who didn't speak English when she moved to Whitehorse from Chile five years ago, first found work as a cleaner. A seamstress by trade, she started doing sewing jobs on the side.

Then, Martinez's housing landlord offered her a commercial space on Main Street to open a sewing business. Knowing Martinez didn't have cash to spare, she made an offer Martinez couldn't refuse: free rent for a month.  

"She said, 'take it and try for one month. If this works, you can keep doing it. If no work, you have nothing to lose,'"  Martinez recalled. 

Now, Martinez has all the work she needs and more. She has two staff members helping her out but for a year she worked alone, often putting in 12-hour days.

On a typical day, a constant stream of people come in and out of the store. The wait time for a repair can take a month, but Martinez tries to accommodate last minute requests. 

Overworked as she is, Martinez knows her work is appreciated. She said a customer recently gave her chocolate and thanked her for "dressing the city."

Martinez appreciated the gift, but said her ultimate motivation is to help the planet. 

"This life for me is the service. It's not about money."

This story is part of a series on zero waste. Do you have an idea for us? Email cbcyukon@cbc.ca