RetailView Retail CategoryShoppingView Shopping CategoryTorontoView Toronto Category

A Brand New Market Is Coming This Month To Downtown Toronto

By Blair StutzView Author PostsApr 3rd 2019

Ever gone shopping in a marketplace that’s made up of shipping containers? Well get ready, because you’re about to!

stackt is a market, opening to the public on April 10, and it’s comprised of 120 shipping containers that act as stores for both local and new businesses in Toronto right at Front and Bathurst.

This 100,000-square-foot space takes up a whole city block, if you can believe it, and it’s all about what we, as Torontonians, want in a shopping and community space.

stackt is not only the spot for local, national, and international brands to showcase their wares but it also will become a hub for different community and city events that everyone can take part in and enjoy.

stackt’s Art & Community Lead, Jacquelyn West, told us that the various outdoor spaces can be rented out by the hour so if someone wants to host any kind of class or panel, they’re able to do that pretty easily.

The founder of stackt, Matt Rubinoff also revealed that there are already plans in place for outdoor movie screenings, pick up basketball games, and even events for the Toronto’s upcoming Canadian Music Week festival in May.

This unique space is really about getting the community together and involving everyone.

Retailers can rent their shipping container store as a weekend pop-up or as long as two months so the shopping experience at stackt will be ever changing and there will always be something new to check out and shop for.

The retail shopping units are approximately 280-square-feet, but some have been combined for larger stores or community spaces.

Retailers at stackt at the moment are brands like Tkees, Reunion Coffee Roasters, Lesley Hampton, Inkbox Tattoos, Donut Monster, Dresden Vision, and COFO Design, to name a few.

In need a good stretch? Check out the Flow Alkaline Spring Water space for some good old fashioned hydration and even catch a free community class.

So there’s lots of shopping happening, but what if you’re hungry?

The folks over at stackt believe in creating a place for local chefs and new restaurateurs to get their start and make their mark in a difficult industry. They’re proving this by giving them a spot to test out their creations and restaurant ideas.

This means that it’s pretty likely that if you come to stackt and enjoy a new dish, you could technically be one of the first to experience it—how cool is that?

If you’re into beer, then get yourself over to stackt’s on-site Belgian Moon Brewery and enjoy a cold one on the lawn in a comfy chair with some pals. Folks are encouraged to “hang out” here and it’s designed to be a space for the community to intermingle. Plus, there will be free wifi throughout the space, so that’s a plus!

The folks at stackt are also credited with giving local artists a fair shot, too. They have invited local painters to design beautiful murals and installations throughout the marketplace.

These works of art, like the retailers in the shipping containers, are also constantly changing and they’re even encouraging the artists to be creating their masterpieces while the marketplace is open. This is so that members of the public can not only witness the creations being done but so they can meet the artist behind the work.

Wall painting by @a_l_f_a_l_f_a

At stackt, they’ve thought of everything from not only the retailer stand point, but also the budding entrepreneur perspective, and the customer point of view.