What's This Place? Behind the Clicks and Mortar with Miranda Black

Join me as I share the unexpected odyssey of a blouse that was more than mere fabric—it unfurls the story of my first Poshmark sale, a rare Lou de Beauregard piece and the emotional whirlwind that followed its mysterious disappearance.  This episode isn't just about garments and goodbyes; it's a journey through the shared paths of memory and the acts of forgiveness that help us navigate...

For the 3rd season of What's This Place? Podcast, I'm gonna tell some stories and spill some tea (or some neon pink dye) on fashion . What have Lucky Sevens got to do with launching a Poshmark Account?! Yer gonna need to go inside to find out :) Enjoying the podcast? I am fiercely independent, and rely on listeners like you  to help me stick around. Can you share the episode on social me...

Ever thought about the journey your favouritest piece of clothing? Hold onto your needles and threads, because we're about to explore the world of mending and repairing! Try to spot my very first invisible mending job on a damaged cashmere sweater, and join me as I journey into the realm of visible mending with Elysha from Worth Mending . We dive into the benefits of mending services in retai...

Am I about to become a nudist?! Noooo! #NoNewClothes is a is a challenge just like pouring ice water over your head or eating a spoon of cinnamon except way less cold and dangerous! Can I do it?!! Can I go without buying ANY NEW TEXTILES for 90 days?!! Let's go inside to find out! Hey, I'm Miranda Black, the DeGrowth Diva and this summer I set out on the No New Clothes challenge - a 90-d...

Caitlin Martella had never been a second hand shopper prior to starting her second hand business.  In fact, She had a lot of pre-conceptions about what thrifting meant and decided long ago that it was not for her.  Like me when I ran my store, she had never even heard of the circular economy and now…well, I’m going to let her describe how she ended up on this path. So, who is Caitlin Martella and...

Medication and surgery works for all sorts of different diseases. But they frequently do not work to cure chronic pain...and I know this very well because I have been living with chronic pain for well over a year and nothing doctors gave me worked. So I have been on a pretty intense journey to heal myself and I've discovered a number of non-drug non-surgery ways to significantly reduce the am...

Everyone thinks that December is peak  "fat pants" month.  But I'm going to suggest that March  could give December fat pants are run for their money. In December you're still coasting on the last remains of summer energy:  going for walks or riding your bike to work.  But then January.  And God, February!  The bike has been locked up for weeks.  Summer energy is a distant memo...

Every business creates waste but imagine turning that waste into a NEW business? That's what Jesi Whelan did with her kids clothing company, Phoenix Pre-Worn .  The clothing that's too torn or stained to be sold gets used in her second business she started with Samantha Hulst from June Bird . Together they teamed up to create a craft subscription box using textile waste from kids clothin...

A guided meditation on the feelings Valentine's Day can bring up.  Great for anyone who feels overwhelmed by the amount of STUFF in their homes.   Enjoying the podcast? I am fiercely independent, and rely on listeners like you  to help me stick around. Can you share the episode on social media, or write a  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review in Apple podcasts?!  I would be so grateful. 

Born during the darkest days of the pandemic, Clotheshorse The Podcast, took everyone behind the scenes of Fast Fashion...what REALLY goes on to make us soooo addicted we stop caring about the people who make the clothing. Amanda McCarty, the creator of Clotheshorse has worked retail her whole life. She's worked on the floor, she's worked in the head offices, she's been a consumer l...

I've been talking more and more about de-growth and I'm seeing more and more articles and media out there talking about de-growth.  It's becoming a bit of a buzzword but what does it really mean?  I interviewed that new chat bot, the one that can create the written word from artificial intelligence.  It has creators and writers wondering if their jobs are about to be taken over by A...

This episode, What's This Place? goes behind the bricks and mortar of New Circles, a multi dimensional, not-for-profit agency here in Toronto. New Circles helps alleviate poverty through their free clothing bank GLOW (Gently Loved Outfits To Wear)...and if I am being honest, that's all I thought they did! But once I went behind the bricks and mortar, I discovered that GLOW is a jumping o...

This week I get interviewed by Jason Shepherd, the host of The Real Hero's of E-commerce, a podcast on shopping! Enjoying the podcast? I am fiercely independent, and rely on listeners like you  to help me stick around. Can you share the episode on social media, or write a  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review in Apple podcasts?!  I would be so grateful. 

We're talking zero waste costumes, decorations and candy with a special mystery guest! We also talk about stats and how they aren't helping and may even be contributing to people not caring about making small changes! RIP stats!! Enjoying the podcast? I am fiercely independent, and rely on listeners like you  to help me stick around. Can you share the episode on social media, or write a ...

This week I go behind the scenes of my own business, Theodore 1922:  how I started, how I very nearly went bankrupt and how one man changed everything.  Pasquale started tailoring at 6 years old...yes, you read that right: 6 years old! So what is a Bespoke Tailor?  And who is Pasquale Buonjourno? Enjoying the podcast? I am fiercely independent, and rely on listeners like you  to help me stick arou...

What's This Place? podcast turns one this week.  I launched my first episode with Sharon Smyl from Collected Joy a year ago this week and heck yeah, I'm going to celebrate! I'm giving away a chance to win one of 3 garments from Blondie Apparel , a 100% Made in Canada garment...from fabric to hang tags to thread.  HOW TO WIN?! Go to my Instagram or Twitter for rules and entry.  You c...

Why Isn’t More Clothing Made In Canada?  Well today we are going to talk to someone who actually wrote an article with that exact title…you can google "Why Isn’t More Clothing Made in Canada?" and the first result you should get is a Chatelaine story with that exact title by Isabel Slone who writes for The NY Times, The Globe and Mail, Macleans etc and today I’m going to pick her brain a...

Soak Wash is a huge Canadian success story...there's also has a ton of sustainability built right into Soaks production.  A perfect fit for this season on What's This Place? Jacqueline Sava wanted to build a laundry detergent from a skin care perspective: Something that is as gentle on your hands and smells just as great as the soaps we use on our bodies.  "People sometimes think of...

This week we talk to Danielle Green, the owner of ADC an independent thrift store thriving and surviving in one of the most expensive cities in the world. Danielle shares how she had to shift her game when covid hit, how to thrift for the average person and how to support independent thrift stores everywhere. Enjoying the podcast? I am fiercely independent, and rely on listeners like you  to help...

What is a Sustainable Stylist?   Miranda Black interviews Jess Raffills from The Finder's Life who has been a sustainable stylist before anyone really knew what that was!   Jess is from New Zealand where they weave sustainability into their lives a little more seamlessly that we do here in North America (scute the pun...weave, seamlessly lol). Jess gives some great tips you can start using TO...

Miranda Black realizes the traditional ways of shopping & staying stylish no longer feel great if it means she's disproportionately contributing to the destruction of the planet.  How on earth can fashion survive?  What does sustainable style mean? How come fashion is so destructive?  Let's go inside and find out. Enjoying the podcast? I am fiercely independent, and rely on listeners...

Miranda Black sits down with Jessica Correa from Random Acts of Green to learn why it's important to have some green goals even if they are little ones.  Jessica shows us how small actions can create huge ripples and how to gain confidence developing your own sustainable style. Enjoying the podcast? I am fiercely independent, and rely on listeners like you  to help me stick around. Can you sh...

Go behind the bricks and mortar of Peach Berserk, a 35 year old independent fashion house owned by Kingi Carpenter. Enjoying the podcast? I am fiercely independent, and rely on listeners like you  to help me stick around. Can you share the episode on social media, or write a  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review in Apple podcasts?!  I would be so grateful. 

Peach Berserk is an iconic fashion line in Canada.  It has been profiled in thousands of fashion articles, worn on hundreds of red carpets and countless proms and weddings.  Maybe even you owned something from Peach Berserk!  The brand was THAT ubiquitous.  Kingi Carpenter, the brains behind Peach Berserk, closed her store in 2012 but she is back with a whole new interactive fashion/art gallery/cr...

For over 40 years, a yellow and red awning has hung over a seemingly deserted storefront.  No one ever seemed to go in or out.  In 2018, R.A.I.D. took over this infamous and mysterious storefront.  It was like a time capsule from the 1980s: the bar, the ticket booth window, even the disco dance floor hadn't been touched for four decades.  Ramon Perez is not a retailer. He's a successful...