Indigenous-owned business Nîkihk has opened its first flagship store at the Midtown shopping centre in Saskatoon and the motivation for the company was driven after the death of Neil Sasakamoose’s father.
Fred Sasakamoose, one of the first Indigenous players in the National Hockey League, died in 2020 after the former Chicago Black Hawks forward had been hospitalized with COVID-19.
Neil Sasakamoose, President & CEO of Nîkihk, said the company’s roots stem from the pandemic.
“When the pandemic first came to the Prairies, our bands couldn’t find any kind of hand sanitizer, any kind of household cleaner, there was a big panic . . . There were big fears. Our bands they couldn’t find any. There were restrictions and fights in the aisles of Superstores and grocery stores and local stores as everyone was buying everything out,” he said, adding the bands were locked down too at that time.
“It was born out of necessity. We went and made our own product. We went to a plant and started testing a concept, obtained this brand. The federal government through us purchased a whole bunch of household supply kits. There was a box of hand sanitizer, hand soap, common house cleaners we produced that were clean, they were green-friendly. We created a brand and mixed in some of our Indigenous Plains scents and colours into them like sweetgrass and sage and blueberries and Saskatoon berries. We came out with a brand and it exploded.
“My father passed away from COVID and that motivated me personally. He was one of the first victims of COVID back in 2020. He missed the vaccines by two months. It motivated me to make sure that First Nation households had hand sanitizers, they had household cleaning, they had personal care. It’s a mix of both things. The market was set to go but I had a personal goal and I wanted to make sure that people were safe. My dad’s passing was one of the driving forces for me personally.”
In March 2020, Nîkihk, which translated from Plains Cree is “my home”, was created to help distribute household cleaning kits to combat the national shortage of sanitizing solutions on First Nations.
Since then, it has sold over 75,000 cleaning kits, made headlines, and it began a retail journey with a physical presence in Saskatoon’s signature mall.
The venture is owned by several Saskatchewan First Nations. Battlefords Agency Tribal Chiefs is a tribal council that was formed in the spring of 2007 with the original first nations of Ahtahkakoop Cree Nation, Moosomin First Nation, Red Pheasant Cree Nation, Sweetgrass First Nation, and Stoney Knoll First Nation signing the Convention Act. Saulteaux First Nation joined in 2009 and Mosquito / Grizzly Bear’s Head / Lean Man First Nation in 2014.
Sasakamoose said the retail space blended the sanitizers and cleaning supplies with the work of local Indigenous artisans in the Battlefords area.
“We buy their products and we resell them. Get their brand out there. Their name. It’s been really good,” he said. “It’s been a good mix for us.”
Linda Young, Specialty Leasing Manager, for Cornwall Centre in Regina and Midtown in Saskatoon, for Cushman & Wakefield, said since inception, Nîkihk has transformed from a store to a destination to include a feature wall of Nîkihk products, a Truth & Reconciliation, a “Every Child Matters” stairway and merchandise, local artisans featured showing their exquisite skill at beading and leather work, as well, a “Multi Cultural Corner” where people can learn and work with the community.
The painting of the walls inside the space was completed by local Indigenous Artists. Nîkihk’s retail offering has grown to include cleaners such as personal care, pet care, laundry detergent and athletic wear cleansing.
“The whole thing started at Midtown because I saw a commercial on TV on Global. It was just a local commercial. I thought I should contact these guys and we should partner. The timing was just so right with Truth & Reconciliation and Every Child Matters,” said Young. “That’s really how all this started.”
“And he’s got a terrific group that he works with. We started meeting and planning and it opened the third week of November of 2021.”
She said the store is located at the 1st Avenue entrance, the first store when people walk into the main entrance, across from a Starbucks.
“The placement is really fantastic. It’s about 2,800 square feet.”
