By Dan Walton
Valley Hemp Co. has budded up in Oliver to reflect the needs of locals who love unique clothing.
The shop is located just south of 7-Eleven on Main Street and sells everything synonymous with hemp. Except of course for marijuana, which is still illegal.
“We’re not a dispensary, we don’t sell weed,” said store manager Kira Van Skiver. “We have our tobacco products and our main thing is sustainable wear.”
The Oliver location opened up on May 1, though the Valley Hemp brand is already well established in the Okanagan. There were two other locations in Penticton – on Main Street and near Skaha Beach – but the Skaha location closed recently after more than 10 years.
But before ever moving into commercial retail space, the founder of Valley Hemp, Amanda Stewart, first launched the business as a vendor at the Okanagan Falls flea market.
Since then, the business has been able to blossom because of the ongoing demand for hemp products.
“Hemp is biodegradable, no dyes added, no artificial anything,” Van Skiver said. “All natural fibres. It’s good for the earth; good for you.”
Although hemp is an extremely strong fibre, it isn’t as smooth as many other fabrics, so in clothing it’s often blended with comfier materials, such as bamboo or soy.
“It’s soft and cool during the summer, warm during winter,” said employee Liam Stewart, who was wearing a pair of Nomads Hemp Wear pants.
“(Nomads Hemp Wear) has such a backing in us,” he said. “And they really keep up with the times with their styles.”
“We’re really excited to be in Oliver,” said Van Skiver. “We hope to see new faces soon.”
