About the Founder

Eco Entreprenuer

Welcome to Trading Post at Bear Spring Eco Retreat!

Let me introduce myself, my name is Solita Work. I'm an an eco retailer and now, with the help of my family, opened a glamping retreat on our family farm in 2021. The retreat features glamorous tent accommodations, an event venue, edible gardens and the gift shop - the Trading Post. 😉

I am an artist and designer first and foremost. I graduated from art college in my 20s and have been doing something creative for a living ever since. I am an accomplished graphic designer and illustrator. I love watercolour painting, wood burning, cooking, baking, gardening and sewing. I’m not afraid to try new things. I have designed museum exhibits, sewn graduation dresses and am learning to play the banjo. I have lived in a foreign country but, recently moved back to my childhood home to build Bear Spring Eco Retreat. I love the outdoors including swimming in rivers and lakes, hiking and skiing and most of all bike riding. I am currently on the board of the West Kootenay Cycling Coalition. 🚲

I am also passionate about living the most sustainable life possible. I am concerned about climate change and believe that reducing our consumption and being more self-sufficient are real solutions to this existential problem. Everything I do keeps this goal in mind. That’s why I started my shop, to help others do the same. We can live more sustainably and still live comfortably. I have an eco focused blog and a newsletter here too. I feature items that I love, activities that I enjoy, projects that I am working on and interesting things that I find others doing. ♻️

This online store features one-of-a-kind gifts made from all kinds of stuff for a eco lifestyle. Our Trading Post specializes in products made from recycled or upcycled materials diverting thousands of pounds of waste from the landfill each year. Most of the products are made by individuals from across Canada. I do all the research for you and stock my shop with only the best eco-friendly products that you can trust. By sourcing Canadian made products, my shop keeps more money circulating in our local economy too. 🌲

I also align my shop with local environmental and social organizations that support eco lifestyles. I don't just own and manage an environmentally sustainable business, I walk the talk too. I live a comfortable life within a sustainable footprint, and I am doing my best to help others to do the same. 🌎