It’s a warm spring day and Miranda Dick, co-owner of Red Hummingbird Boutique is sitting behind her desk painting a children’s hat that she plans to display in the front window.
“Come on in, have a look around,” says Dick as IndigiNews enters the storefront on Secwépemc territory, on Chase Street, in downtown Chase, B.C.
The shop owners spent thousands of hours creating the items and curating the store. On April 22, when the doors opened, the floor was quickly bustling with eager shoppers. Since then, a steady stream of folks have continued to show their support, making purchases both online and in-store, says Dick.
The opportunity for the shop came up at the beginning of April, and the sisters had three weeks from the moment the opportunity presented itself to opening day. Things moved quickly, but great care and thought were put into the project, including the name.
“I chose the Red Hummingbird after my sister Gwa’s Indian name, as well as Warrior Hummingbird Woman, my Mother’s name,” she shares with IndigiNews.
Dick alongside her sister Gwa co-own the boutique and are the ones who make each creation. The store is filled with items that have either been upcycled with an Indigenous touch, or made from scratch by the sisters. Jean jackets, for example, are adorned with Pendleton applique. And the shop is bursting with handmade one-of-a-kind ribbon skirts, ribbon shirts, beading, accessories, and upcycled home decor.
Great care and intention go into creating each piece.
For instance, when creating clothing that is worn in ceremonies, or on special occasions, such as ribbon skirts and shirts, Dick is mindful and honours where the item may go after it has left her store.
“So when we were doing the ribbon shirts and also the skirts, they come with so much [intention].”
“I have to really focus my energy as I’m doing it,” says Dick.
“I’ll create something, like the ribbon skirts, and I know I’m creating it for something special, and so I love to see where they end up going,” says Dick.
The boutique will be running until mid-September and may move online when the high foot-traffic of summer in Chase gears down.
Other units in the building are also occupied by Indigenous-owned services and businesses. These include an event planning business, Be Inspired, a hot rock masseuse, as well as a beautiful meeting space which is available for rent by the hour.
