Toronto-based women’s fashion brand Pink Martini has opened its second storefront in the city. The 1,300 square foot retail space at 2378 Bloor Street West in Toronto’s Bloor West Village follows a location that opened on the Danforth about six years ago.
The new Bloor West Village store features the full range of Pink Martini’s women’s fashion line, which also wholesales at about 700 smaller retailers across North America. The Toronto storefront acts as an anchor for the brand and a space where women can come to see the entire collection, and be served by knowledgeable staff.
Pink Martini was founded in 2006 by entrepreneur Amir Bahar, who’s family has a history in the apparel and fabric business. He developed the line now known as Pink Martini, featuring a range of designs for women that include “feminine boho chic wardrobe choices” with a range of sustainable clothing that transitions through the seasons. The price point on Pink Martini’s fashions is quite reasonable given its quality and design, and the pricing makes it accessible to a broad spectrum of women seeking casual and dressier clothing. The collection is created by Pink Martini’s in-house design team, and manufactured in China.
Dresses are priced from about $60 to $130 depending on the style, while outerwear is priced under $250 per coat. Most sweaters and pants are priced at under $100 in a range of styles and colours.
The second Pink Martini store follows a location that opened in 2017 at 261 Danforth Avenue in Toronto’s Greektown area. The design of the new Bloor Street store features a simplified logo with a clean white aesthetic that is intended to allow the clothing in the space to be the centre of attention. Several other local designers also showcase some goods in the store, including a range of jewellery and bags.
Pink Martini had a store on Queen Street West in Toronto which shut several years ago.
In an interview, Amir Bahar said that he choose the Bloor West Village location because of its demographics and the overall community feel of the commercial strip. He was looking for an area with strong neighbourhood retail and a nearby population with a higher income bracket, education and professional employment.
That goes for any future Pink Martini locations as well, according to Bahar. He said that wholesale will continue to be the lions share of the business for the popular Pink Martini brand, while at the same time he is considering opening more stores in Toronto and even possibly Vancouver at some point, in areas that have a neighbourhood focus, community feel, and strong demographics.
Bahar explained how customer service is paramount to what a good retail store should be, and with that he has hired a team of exceptional sales associates who he terms ‘stylists’. The Danforth location has developed a loyal clientele and the new Bloor West Village location is already seeing repeat visits since its recent opening.
