Saskatoon Boom Box-er ready for jump from web to mall

A Saskatoon entrepreneur who got her big break with CBCs Boom Box, an aboriginal business challenge, is taking the risky step into opening a retail space.

Heather Abbey's idea became ShopIndigenous.ca, a website that features the work of aboriginal artisans. The site, however, is expanding and is being shut down for a while.

Abbey is taking her Boom Box lessons, and is applying them to old fashioned retail, bringing her unique inventory to a kiosk in The Centremall in Saskatoon.

For Abbey, this is a bit of an experiment.

We are going to learn as we go and see how it goes and if it goes well you know there could be other opportunities or we could stay on the cart, she said.

Along with the unique work of aboriginal artisans, Abbey said she is also going to feature her new clothing line, Kiowa Sage.

"You know it is high quality work that you can't really find in any mainstream location, she said.

Setting up a kiosk in the Centre Mall costs more than $10 thousand dollars, and so Abbey is looking for investors through crowdfunding.