Slashpile Designs Blog
Slashpile Designs Virtual Shopping Tour - Flock Boutique November 04 2013
Uncommon goods for birds of a different feather. Read through to the bottom of the post to learn how you can win $25 to spend at Flock! We're going to go a little further for this week's stop in our virtual tour--we're heading to Ottawa! Located in the former House of Staples at 1275 Wellington St. West, Flock Boutique is the big sister to Workshop Boutique, a fashion staple in Ottawa’s Byward Market. You can check out their website at https://flockboutique.ca. Flock Boutique loves Canadian handmade - which is why they carry the work of over 160 of Canada's loveliest and most unique designers! They carry dresses & accessories, jewellery (of course!) scarves, mitts, finger puppets & the cutest little alternative baby section you have ever seen. The shop is fresh and fun and the vibe is grown up, work wearable, and ethically made The ladies of Flock also offer classes in sewing, knitting, jewellery-making, and various other crafty pastimes. Christina & Bridget, the duo behind Flock, met 9 years ago around 3am outside in the Byward Market building while they were waiting in a line up to sell their goodies on Canada Day. When the skies darkened and the winds started to pick up, they tied their tents together, thinking the weight would help them out. Instead, they had created a giant sail that had the pair gripping on for dear life while being pelted with hail and watching their handmade goodies slowly making their way into the storm drain! Christina and Bridget decided to open Workshop Boutique (their first store) 6 months later and Flock Boutique 5 years after that. They must be crazy, but they've done a wonderful job on both stores! Always a pleasure to stop by and spend some time looking around whenever we are in Ottawa!! :) Both Flock and Workshop Boutiques carry a wide selection of Slashpile Designs jewellery, so make sure you check them out when you're in town! [gallery ids="2405,2404,2403,2402,2401,2400"]Slashpile Designs Virtual Shopping Tour – Freedom Clothing Collective October 25 2013
The next stop in our virtual shopping tour takes us to Bloor and Ossington, to Freedom Clothing Collective. Freedom is a not for profit organization promoting fashion, art, design and craft. They are located conveniently close to Ossington subway station, at 939 Bloor St West. Freedom sells items by all local Canadian designers, and 75% of their items are made in the GTA. The store has such a cozy, welcoming feel to it and everything inside is beautiful to behold. They sell everything including clothing, jewellery, accessories, soaps and housewares. Even the display units in the store are wonderfully designed refurbished pieces of furniture by Poppyseed Living and are for sale (https://poppyseedliving.blogspot.ca). Together, Jelena from Poppyseed Living and Karen from KooCoo Carillo (https://www.koocoo.ca) run the shop, along with some other collaborators. We have been selling our work in Freedom Clothing for years and love working with them. They currently carry a great selection of our jewellery, including our molecule line, 1 Carrot Diamond Rings, Dino Series and are currently the only retailer of our mismatched shark friend stud earrings.[gallery link="file" ids="2379,2382,2381,2380,2383,2388"] Freedom Clothing Collective is a awesome store to get special, local gifts. There is something unique for everyone (men and women!) and to suit any budget. Happy shopping! View Larger Map
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!