Manitobah, an Indigenous footwear store, will have a big retail expansion this fall as its retail footprint grows with the opening of several pop up locations.
The company, founded by Sean McCormick in 1997, is well known in providing Indigenous mukluks and moccasins and has become one of the fastest growing companies in Canada.
“Manitobah is focused on driving positive impact to Indigenous
communities in a number of ways, including our Indigenous Market where 100 per cent of all profits go back to Indigenous artisans. Each of our retail locations features products from Indigenous Market artisans in addition to our regular assortment of Manitobah footwear,” said Mike Wodtke, Chief Marketing Officer of Manitobah.
In 2022, the brand launched a flagship store in the Forks Market in Winnipeg.
“Outside of the Forks in Winnipeg, we recently opened up three additional year-round stores in Edmonton, Saskatoon and Ottawa. Those four stores will be paired with 10 additional locations in Canada this season – seven pop-ups and three kiosks. These 14 locations represent a significant increase from the eight we had last year. We continue to be excited about our opportunity to grow our retail footprint,” added Wodtke.
The retail expansion includes Calgary (CrossIron Mills), Edmonton (Southgate) and Winnipeg (St. Vitale Centre) as each have a kiosk location – the first year testing this concept.
“As we continue to refine our retail strategy, we will continue to keep our social mission front and centre. This will come to life through compelling in-store merchandising and visual experiences for our customers and community. Additionally, each location will look to regularly host events where we celebrate and highlight the local Indigenous community. And, with our increasing product assortment outside of our core Fall/Winter styles , we will look to increase our retail footprint in Spring/Summer months,” said Wodtke.
“Our hope is that our retail presence expands, both in Canada and into the US, that customers from all backgrounds to walk with us as we celebrate our Indigenous communities,” said Wodtke.
Sean, who is a part of the Metis Indigenous community, started dreaming of owning his own company in high school and wanted a business representing his community. Today, Manitobah sells a variety of mukluks and moccasins using materials from Deerskin, Sheepskin, Full Grown Leather, and Rabbit Fur – materials that have been used for Mukluks for 10,000 years.
When these hit the US/World market the sensation they would cause could easily outperform Canada Goose!