Bins & Bins

Meet Marg Barnes, the Owner Behind Bins & Bins in North Bay

When you walk into Bins & Bins, someone greets you at the door. That is on purpose. Marg Barnes has owned the store since the day it opened, and she wants it to be the place you go when you cannot find something anywhere else in town. "We are the Gateway Hardware of the food industry," she says. "If we don't have it, we'll find it for you. We'll bring it in for you."

Marg was born and raised in North Bay and comes from a very old North Bay family. These days she works in the background and does the books, while her team runs the floor. One customer summed up the place in seven words: "If you can't find it? ASK." Just ask, and they will find it for you.

A Locally Owned Bulk Food Store in North Bay Since 1991

In 1991 Marg was a real estate broker. An agent in her office had the listing for the land where the Shirreff plaza now stands, so she saw the plans early and rented a space with a partner. She saw how North Bay shoppers tended to stay in their own area to shop, and there was no bulk food store in the ever growing north end of the city. She saw the opportunity to open a business there, and Bins & Bins was born.

Bins & Bins opened on November 1, 1991, in 1,200 square feet. The first weekend, every red cherry and every bit of glazed fruit went out the door in two days. Marg called her mom to ask what was going on. "Well, Marg," her mom said, "they're putting down Christmas cakes." A trip to Toronto to their main supplier was in the cards for more.

In 2010 they expanded from 1,200 square feet to 4,000 square feet, where they are today.

Health Food and Supplements in North Bay You Can Trust

As the demographics changed, so did Bins & Bins. Today the store is about half bulk and half health food. Gluten free, keto, vegetarian and vegan emerged as ongoing lines in the store. Expanding into tea leaves, tinctures, essential oils, natural creams and lotions, pain management and eco friendly cleaning products followed.

For vitamins and supplements, Bins & Bins works with two main supplement lines. Marg likes knowing what is in the bottle and where it came from. One customer wrote that they carry "really hard to find supplements that you very rarely if ever find elsewhere in town."

What to Know Before You Shop at a Bulk Food Store

The whole point of bulk is that you buy only what you need. Bring your recipe. Whether it calls for grams, teaspoons or pounds, the staff will fill it, and there are scales of every kind in the store. If you need two cups of flour, buy two cups of flour. Nothing goes stale in your cupboard and nothing gets thrown out.

That works for treats too. Kids can pick a little bit of candy, and in summer people build their own trail mix for camping trips, the classic peanut and raisin mix Marg still calls gorp. The nuts, she says, just fly out of there.

Timing matters as well. November and December belong to baking. The rest of the year, the health food line and the supplements carry the store.

Special Orders, Cake Pans and Curbside Pickup in North Bay

If Bins & Bins does not carry something, ask. The staff will bring it in for you for customers and for businesses. You can also call in your order, pay by Visa or Mastercard, and they will load it into your car when it is ready. Delivery is free in North Bay on orders over $30.

Planning a birthday party? The store keeps about fifty cake pans you can rent for two dollars a day plus HST, along with dessert making and decorating supplies.

A Farmer's Market of Local Makers Under One Roof

About two years ago, Bins & Bins started giving shelf space to local makers. There are now between twelve and fifteen small companies in the store: soaps, honey, pet food, maple syrup and more, including Victoria's Sweets, Jacque's Bees, Mellow Acres pet food and Gchi Kii Chaga. Meadowlark farm keeps its lettuce in a fridge in the store. Marg calls it a farmer's market in your store. If you make something locally, ask about a spot.

The store also sells All Heart Pet Rescue T shirts, with every dollar going to the rescue, and keeps a donation box at the till.

Dry Cleaning and UPS Drop Off in One North Bay Stop

Bins & Bins is an Uptown Cleaners depot and a UPS Access Point, open seven days a week, so you can drop off your dry cleaning, ship a parcel and pick up groceries in one stop. The dry cleaning counter sits in the corner where the store used to run cake decorating classes. One shopper said they will always ship UPS through the store because the staff "went above and beyond to help me."

Discounts, the Saver Club Card and Community

There are business, military and student discounts every day, and a seniors discount on Tuesdays. The Bins & Bins Saver Club card gives you a stamp for every ten dollars you spend, and when you have spent fifty dollars you get ten percent off your next order. Watch for the specials every two weeks and the monthly wellness bundle on their website, Facebook and Instagram.

Bins & Bins is also home to one of North Bay's five Free Little Art Galleries, along with spots like Rose Bowl Florist 2.0. These are accessible, inclusive, indoor interactive micro galleries for micro artworks, inspired by the "Free Little Libraries" concept of freestanding structures that offer books with a "take one and/or leave one" policy, but with artworks instead. You can take art, leave art, admire art, or any combination of the above. These community arts exchange points feature pieces from many creative local residents and artists of all ages, in a variety of mediums.

What to Expect When You Visit Bins & Bins

Bins & Bins is open Monday to Saturday from 9 to 6 and Sunday from 10 to 5, and Sunday is busy. The team at Bins & Bins is the best, and they work hard to make your visit enjoyable. Walk in, and someone will say hello. "If you can't find it, just ask," Marg says. "We'll find it for you."