Slashpile Designs Blog
Slashpile Designs Virtual Shopping Tour - Gallery Catalyst November 07 2013
Gallery Catalyst is very different from the other stores we sell our work in. The concept is affordable art: every piece is one of a kind, and comes in one of 3 sizes. All pieces of the same size are the same price, whether they were created by an established artist or someone fresh out of school. The idea is to make art collecting affordable and accessible to everyone. Artists featured include Dr. Seuss, Billy dee Williams and Rachel Isadora and up-and-coming artists like Johnathan Ball, Joann Côté and Adrienne Dagg.
The gallery opened in May 2013, and is a great addition to the Queen West strip. The idea was inspired by a gallery the owner visited in Paris, showcasing new and established artist equally. Each artist has their own podium display, with the 3 size options, and prices displayed on the wall. Customers can flip through the variety of paintings, prints, photos, etc, and even get them framed onsite. Slashpile Designs jewellery is displayed inside the gallery, in the cases near the counter, where there is a selection of jewellery for sale by local Toronto artists. Behind the cases are some larger pieces of art, also for sale. Gallery Catalyst also holds art openings and events, and the manager, Kelsey, was telling me about one opening where the artist actually was spontaneously struck by inspiration and actually started unwrapping her paintings and painting over them on the Gallery Catalyst is an exciting new space to check out, great for unique holiday gift ideas. Why not give someone the gift of original art?! Visit their website at https://gallerycatalyst.ca/
Slashpile Designs Virtual Shopping Tour - Corktown Designs October 20 2013
Corktown Designs is a fantastic place to find unique and interesting contemporary jewellery. The venue itself is beautiful, with brick walls and glass cases showcasing a huge variety of handcrafted jewellery and accessories, as well as some mass-produced pieces. It is located in Toronto's historic Distillery District, which is a part of the city that is definitely worth visiting! The pedestrian-only village was formerly operating as the Gooderham and Worts Distillery from 1832-1990, which at one point was the largest whiskey and spirits distillery in the world. More recently, the 40 buildings of the old distillery were restored and opened in 2003 as a major tourist attraction, with lots of shops, restaurants, cafes, galleries and artist studios. There are often craft and farmer's markets, festivals as well as music, fashion and art events.
Corktown Designs is right in the middle of the distillery district, at 55 Mill Street. The staff are very nice and helpful, and it's a great place to shop for unique and special pieces or even just to browse and look at all the jewellery. The jewellery is separated in the case by designer, and they also carry some accessories, such as unique bags and scarves. Here's a photo of our display, which is located towards the back of the store on the wall to the left of the entrance. This is definitely a great place to check out for holiday shopping, or for something special to wear to all those fancy parties coming up! I hope you enjoy your visits as much as we do!