Bananas, a whimsical yet chic take on a classic general store has opened in midtown Toronto. Bananas offers shoppers a curated collection of products and a lovely reprieve from the grind of Yonge Street.
Bananas is the passion project of best friends and midtown residents, Joanna Stern and Lauren Shulman. Every item in the store has been handpicked by the duo and is the perfect blend of eccentric luxury – think artisan bags from Italy alongside the hottest squishes and fidgets!
Bananas is more than a retail store, it is an experience – from the in-store claw machine to sweet treats from around the globe to one-of-kind home goods, shoppers will delight in this exciting addition to midtown Toronto.
“We opened on May 24,” said co-founder Shulman, who, alongside best friend and business partner Stern, launched the whimsical retail concept at 2582 Yonge Street. “We’re in Midtown Toronto… It’s a really great strip. A lot of amazing stores are opening or have opened here—Mandy’s, the Nut Bar, the Hut Smoothie Shop, Andrea’s Cookies, and Cocoa Market.
“I call it the Sporting Life block—it’s where I grew up walking as a kid. It feels like home. And we’re in great company,” said Stern.
The store spans 1,100 square feet, and, according to Shulman, the decision to open there was immediate. “This was actually the first spot we looked at. I’m an uptown girl, not really into downtown… It’s exactly what we wanted,” said Stern.
Before launching Bananas, the duo ran a boutique design studio. “It was called Smudge Designs. I did it for about 10 years,” said Shulman.
“Lauren joined a couple of years before we pivoted to Bananas. It was a boutique invitation and event design studio,” added Stern.
“Primarily we did printed invitations—letterpress, foil, traditional stuff,” Stern continued. “But we also did full event branding—logos, decor, dance floors, bar signage, that kind of thing.”
Eventually, burnout and a longing for a different creative outlet led them to retail. “We’ve always loved the idea of a traditional brick-and-mortar store,” Shulman said. “We love in-store shopping—that experience got lost during COVID when everything moved online. The event business was slowing down, and we were feeling burned out.”
“We had been dreaming about opening a store for years. We’d send each other stuff all the time—things we wanted to buy, things people would ask us about. It was just the perfect evolution. It gave us a fun new place to channel our creativity and energy.”
The name Bananas reflects the playful energy they’ve infused into every inch of the store. “’Bananas’ is just our slang—it’s how we describe something wild or crazy,” Stern explained. “We’re best friends, so there were always texts like, ‘That’s bananas!’ We wanted the store to reflect that feeling—fun, quirky, unexpected. We call it our happy place.”
“It’s a play on the general store concept—only we made it bananas,” said Shulman. “The decor is wild: 12 different wallpapers, a painted ceiling, everything handpicked by us. It’s meant to feel like a little adventure.”
“It was really important to us that our personalities be reflected in the space,” Stern added. “We didn’t want it to feel generic or like just another retail store. We wanted it to feel like walking into our heads—colourful, exciting, full of surprises.”
The inventory reflects that same joyful unpredictability. “Our bestseller is this giant fidget toy—it stretches up to six feet. We can’t keep it in stock,” said Stern.
“We also recommend things like ice rollers as teacher gifts—little self-care items that have been really popular. “We’ve got traditional novelty items, joke boxes…”
“Handmade decorative eggs, too,” Shulman chimed in. “It’s really a mix. We’ve got clothing, accessories, homeware, gifts, toys, and candy. Lots of candy.”
“Candy is a big one for us—we source our favorites from all over the world: Sweden, England…” said Shulman.
“We just brought in Percy Pigs, which are a big deal in the UK. People love having a little sweet treat to take with them,” added Stern.
“We even have old-school pick-and-mix bins—it’s very nostalgic,” said Shulman. “Like an old convenience store where you scoop your own candy.”
Their curated toy section is also carefully selected. “Between us, we have three boys,” said Shulman. “So we spent a lot of time choosing the best of the best—lots of things from Europe, stuff you can’t find easily in Canada. Same with the clothing lines—they’re mostly European, thoughtfully selected.”
“Everything we sell is something we’ve used, gifted, or swear by,” said Stern. “It’s all tried and true.”
As for expansion? The team is keeping it simple for now. “World domination, right?” joked Stern.
“For now, we’re happy with one store,” Stern said. “Our next big decision is whether to go online or not.”
It’s hard to translate the in-store experience to a website. So much of what we do is about connection—explaining why we chose something, guiding people through the space,” added Shulman.
Still, the buzz is growing. “The neighbourhood has been so welcoming,” Shulman said. “People now come here saying, ‘I got something for myself, my kid’s teacher, my grandma’—they find gifts for everyone. That’s exactly what we wanted.”
Whether it’s candy from England, toys from Europe, or just a little fun injected into everyday retail, Bananas is out to make shopping joyful again—one nostalgic surprise at a time.
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