Upscale made-in-the-USA lifestyle brand Shinola will open its first Canadian location this summer in Toronto. The 1,800 square foot store will be located at the northeast corner of Queen Street West and Ossington Avenue, at 1000 Queen Street West.
The retail space was formerly occupied by youthful fashion retailer Stussy and a coffee shop, both of which closed last year. Toronto will be Shinola’s 16th store location worldwide, and only its second outside of the U.S. — a London, U.K. store opened in the fall of 2014. Brokerage Think Retail‘s Tony Flanz represented Shinola in the Toronto deal.
Shinola was founded in Detroit in 2011, and specializes in watches, bicycles, leather goods, pet accessories, and apparel. Its name is a nod to the former Shinola shoe polish company that operated in the early to mid 1900’s. The company is now owned and operated by Bedrock Brands, a privately owned Texas investment group, and was launched by Tom Kartsotis, one of the founders of the Fossil Group retail conglomerate. Most products are made in the United States, though some watch parts come from Switzerland.
More Canadian Shinola locations could follow. According to Think Retail’s website, Shinola is seeking retail space in Canada for stores in the 1,250 to 2,500 square foot range, ideally on high streets.
All photos are via Shinola.
They did a masterful job of installing a little fence that takes up half of the sidewalk on Queen west and Ossington…Real eye and groin sore not to mention a perfect marketing job to keep pedestrians standing by their entrance, waiting in order to pass others. Bravo!!
I’m not sure if my comment had anything to do with it, but thank you kindly Shinola for placing the handicap door opener on your exterior wall and removing, "The nightmare fence." 🙂