Luxury streetwear and sneaker shop, OAK, has opened a brand new flagship on Queen Street West in Toronto, marking its fourth location – its first in Toronto!
OAK, also known as, One Of A Kind, is a retailer offering a wide variety of sneakers as well as streetwear, including rare and designer pieces. Or “grails” some may say.
The shop already has 3 other locations based in Ottawa, Montreal, Laval, and now Toronto!
The Toronto store is 2,500 square feet and is designed to complement the already existing locations in Ottawa and Montreal. Retail Insider reports. The space is a sneakerhead’s dream!
One of the brand’s founders, Franco Benalia, shared via Retail Insider, that when designing the store, a main goal was to create a shop that differed from the generic sneaker resell shop.
Some of the brands you can expect to find at the new OAK flagship location are Louis Vuitton, Goyard, Jordan, Palm Angels, and so much more!
Head over to 333 Queen St W, Toronto to shop OAK’s selection of sneakers, apparel, and accessories!
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Toronto is one of the most interesting cities to explore, especially one of Canada’s coolest retail strips, Queen Street West. Whether it’s shopping, eating, working out, or visiting one-of-a-kind shops, Queen West has got the goods. If you’re not sure where to start on Queen West, check out some of my top places to visit and head on out for a stroll.
Read on below and see for yourself why these 10 spots made the list of cool places to go on Queen Street West!
Crown Flora + Greenhouse Juice Co.
Instagram/@greenhousejuice
740 Queen Street West
Imagine sipping on a fresh-pressed green juice while being surrounded by lush plants — dreamy, right? That’s exactly what the Crown Flora + Greenhouse Juice space is. Parkdale-based florist, Crown Flora and notable juice brand, Greenhouse Juice Co. co-exist together in a bright and airy storefront and it’s a match made in plant heaven. Sip on some juice, buy a plant, and go green — literally!
The Store On Queen
Instagram/@thestoreonqueen
662 Queen Street West
If you’re looking for funky and bold fashion, be sure to check out the The Store On Queen aka TSOQ as their selections will blow your mind. With an eclectic mix of dare-to-bare styles, fancy dresses, and fun accessories, the Toronto-based store has no shortage of options. Trust me, this is the place to shop for a girls night out or a hype Instagram post.
Shinola
Instagram/@nicolemaaak
1000 Queen Street West
Upscale lifestyle retailer from Detroit, Shinola, is one of the newer additions to Queen West, located right at Queen and Ossington. Specializing in leather goods and bespoke watches, the massive open concept store also sells handmade bicycles and curated gift items. Even if you can’t afford their price point, take a peek inside to check out the modern layout of the store. Make sure to look up to see the bicycles hanging from the ceiling!
Zane
Instagram/@victoriabouvy
753 Queen Street West
A great shop to pop into on Queen West is Zane. Specializing in contemporary and trendy jewelry, you’ll also find unique sunglasses and minimal handbags that will elevate any outfit. Most recently, Zane also added on to create space that hosts pop-ups, markets, and various private events.
Pure Barre
Instagram/@purebarretoronto
737 Queen Street West
Looking to sweat it out in the Queen West neighbourhood? Pure Barre, located right at Tecumseth, is a hip workout studio with a number of ballet-inspired full body workouts. Don’t let the word ballet fool you — these workouts may be low intensity, but they are not easy as they seem. They combine barre techniques with light equipment, weights, and use repetition to get you toned!
Nana
View this post on Instagram
785 Queen Street West
I for one, am a huge fan of Thai food and curry. I proudly call myself a Thai food addict and with that said, I can tell you that Nana, the cozy restaurant on Queen West, is among my list of favourites in the city. Serving up dishes that are inspired by the street food in Thailand, each dish is packed with so much flavour and you’ll keep coming back for more!
DECIEM
Instagram/@samkarmali
881 Queen Street West
When it comes to affordable beauty, the folks at DECIEM know a thing or two. While the low prices are its biggest draw, you’ll soon find that quality and range of product is quick to follow. Get ready to shop from a collection of targeted serums, facial treatments, and makeup. The tincture-like, minimal packaging is also hard to forget, lending to the unique branding.
Otto’s Bierhalle
Instagram/@musteatmore
1087 Queen Street West
Head on over to Queen and Dovercourt for fun German fare at Otto’s Bierhalle. Snack on tasty traditional dishes like schnitzel and wurst, but make sure you try Otto’s twists on classics and creating dishes like Spaetzle and Cheese — a play on mac and cheese. Also, do yourself a favour and check out the bathrooms while you’re there!
Convenience
Instagram/@mansnotwell
1184 Queen Street West
The affordable snack bar, Convenience, on Queen West is fronted by a cute convenience store (duh!) Step inside to the actual bar section and you’ll be greeted by a quirky 80s-themed atmosphere with a menu to match with items like Mac Daddy Nachos, Bang Bang Shrimp, and more. Did I mention the $5 cocktails on tap?! Don’t forget to head downstairs for the line of retro phones on the wall — perfect for an Instagram photo opp.
Armed
Instagram/@blairalex
1380 Queen Street West
Head a little further west on Queen and step into jewelry heaven — aka Armed. This fun and unique shop houses not only trendy statement pieces but also selections that are perfect for everyday. Founder Desiree Girlato is a self-taught jewelry designer and her passion is palpable. There’s never been a better time to pop in and build your bracelet stack and get armed!
Featured Image: Instagram/@21_julia_12
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One of our favourite brands, Consonant Skincare is going to be opening a new flagship store this summer. According to Retail-Insider, the brand will be opening up on Queen West and offering 100% natural, clinically proven products.
Bill Baker, founder and president of Consonant Skincare, says the store will act as a hub and gathering place to support customers that are looking to achieve a holistic and healthy lifestyle.
Baker says the plan is to open the new store in mid-May with a grand opening June 1 at 819 Queen Street West.
Featured Image: Instagram/consonantlife
Source: Retail-Insider
Are you excited for the new Consonant Skincare flagship store on Queen West? Let us know in the comments!
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Our favourite go-to spot for outdoor gear and notable for their work to preserve wildlife, Mountain Co-Op Equipment is now opening a massive store on Queen West. Construction is underway now right between Lush Cosmetics and The Black Bull (the one with the unreal patio).
So far, an opening date has yet to be announced – We do know that the store will be similar in size to the previous store at around 40,000 square feet. It also has three levels of parking below it as well as a green roof and office space atop the primary retail store. It’s going to be BIG.
According to Urban Retail, MEC intends to have the new store built by the end of 2018 but we will see if that ends up happening.
Featured Image: Instagram/@MEC
Source: BlogTO
Are you excited for the brand new Queen West MEC? Let us know in the comments!
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In junior high and high school, countless Sundays were spent in and out of colourful stores along Queen West, scooping up whatever we could with our part-time job paycheques.
We’d buy CDs at record shops, bracelets at small artisanal spots, and bell-bottoms and leather jackets at one of the many vintage stores. Queen West was brilliantly gritty and grimy, filled with young people with multi-coloured mohawks who happily played the guitar on the sidewalk. It was simple to shop locally before it was trendy, as there was no alternative – and you never knew what treasures you’d return home with.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Beiw22ZheSf/?tagged=queenwest
Somewhere along the way, however Queen West changed. It progressively went from shamelessly seedy (in the best way ever), to vibrant and colourful, to uber-trendy yet more commercial, one new coffee shop, yoga studio, glassy condo building, retail chain, and high-end boutique at a time. The businesses that revitalized the neighbourhood in the first place are now being priced out, with the strip where businesses would live (and often thrive) for years now characterized by constant turnover.
Recent years have seen the closure of family-run convenience stores along the Queen West strip. Many antique shops and vintage stores like Cabaret Vintage are now things of the past like the goods they once sold. Local watering holes are going under almost as fast as the beer goes down. The longtime beloved spot to let loose to live music (and flirt with a bearded stranger), The Hideout, served its last customer October 2016. Independent business – big and small – are closing up shop because they can no longer afford the neighbourhood’s ever-increasing (see: ridiculously insane) rent costs.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BehRILCH5ES/?tagged=queenwest
Naturally, the galleries that have historically peppered the neighbourhood haven’t remained untouched by the rampant gentrification and many have moved further west and north. For example, both the Edward Day Gallery and the former site of the Museum of Contemporary Art Canada (MOCA) – it has since relocated to 158 Sterling Rd. and will reopen this spring – were forced to close in 2015 to make room for a condo development. The chain restaurants have also started to roll in, with a newly opened Taco Bell occupying the former Hideout real estate and a shiny new A&W now sitting at the corner of Queen and Palmerston.
Of course, the transformation of Queen West is not a new, nor a unique story. No artist-filled inner-city street is immune to the grips of gentrification, especially in a city with real estate prices as insane as Toronto’s are. Of course, it all begs the question of whether Queen West has changed for the better or for the worse. Really, I think it depends on who you ask. The Loblaws and Metro grocery stores are surely convenient for the influx of condo dwellers in the neighbourhood. The higher-end stores save a trip to Yorkville for those with pockets deep enough. The fast-food chain restaurants may be a cheap and convenient end-of-the-month dinner option before ridiculously high apartment rents are due.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BeD0nbtlPaf/?tagged=queenwest
But I do miss the old Queen West. Perhaps the biggest concern is the speed at which this has happened. But we also live in a city that lacks rent control on commercial real estate leases and one that has failed to take action to protect Queen West’s small businesses. With that said, I think it’s the responsibility of the City and of the citizen to preserve the fabric of the iconic neighbourhood. The only way the smaller businesses can sustain themselves is if we continue to frequent them.
On the plus side, one definite – and major – positive in the changing face of Queen Street has been the revitalization of the once isolated Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). Not to mention, the fact remains that one thing Queen West hasn’t actually lost is its vibrancy; to be fair, there still are a ton of smaller, amazing, independently owned boutiques on Queen West. And, of course, there is no shortage of great restaurants.
The colourful ‘hood still remains one of my favourites in the city. It’s one of the first places I take friends from out of town. One of my favourite Sunday activities (especially in the summer, naturally) is shopping along Queen West. The Drake Hotel remains my go-to place to party.
The only hope is that it remains great. While it was an ego boost back in 2014 when Vogue named Queen West the second hippest neighbourhood in the world, maybe it was better left a local secret.
Featured image: Instagram/ @d_a_f_f_y_d
Do you think Queen West changed for the better or worse? let us know in the comments!
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After much anticipation, American heritage brand Filson has opened its first store in Toronto, located on the prominent Queen St. West strip. The Toronto location is the 120-year-old brand’s second store in Canada, with the first opening in Vancouver earlier this year.
Like most stores on Queen St. West, Filson is long, but less narrow than typical retail spaces in the area. The front area is home to Filson’s durable luggage and accessories, while the back houses a large collection of menswear, womenswear and outdoor accessories.
The store itself is an homage to the adventurers, fisherman, hunters, and growing outdoor community that love the brand, with custom furniture built from local salvaged wood, iron beams, wooden floors and a beautiful canoe hanging centre in the back of the store. Plaid accents and vintage Filson imagery complete the look, giving the store a rustic cabin vibe.
Take a peek inside the store below. 
Filson Toronto is located at 694 Queen St. West.
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Our neighbours south of the border have shops such as Flight Club and Stadium Goods when it comes to finding those rare and limited edition sneakers. They even have apps and websites, such as StockX and GOAT, as trusted secondary marketplaces for those sneakers that you may have missed on release day. Unfortunately for Canadian shoppers, shopping at these outlets have become increasingly hard due to the value of the Canadian dollar and the potential 35% duty rate that we may face in addition to all other costs.
Canadian sneakerheads have been longing for a shop like Flight Club or Stadium Goods to open in the country, and soon they’ll have their wish granted with the upcoming release of Overdose Toronto. Also known as OD Toronto, you may have seen them on Instagram getting featured on Hypebeast or giving away rare collectibles on contests hosted with the likes of Modern Notoriety.
Image: Instagram/@ODToronto
OD is gaining the reputation of “OD-ing” on their well-curated Instagram account, each post typically seen with a ridiculous stock of the most hyped and limited items, such as the KAWS x Air Jordan 4s and just about every highly sought after item from Supreme. They have it all from the best Air Jordan 1s, Yeezys galore, Bape NMDs, Acronym Prestos, and the self-lacing Nike Mag!
Their Instagram page consists of all original content made with the items that they have in their inventory, and it is safe to say that they will not only be one of the best stocked shops in Canada, but they will be in competition with other shops of similar caliber throughout the world.
Image: Instagram/@ODToronto
Along with all of the different types of sneakers that you will be able to find at OD, you will also be able to find the best selection of Supreme box logos, accessories, Kaws Companion Bearbricks of all sizes, and more.
Image: Instagram/@ODToronto
They have created such a buzz throughout the sneaker world that one of the questions that the proprietors most frequently get asked is, “When is OD opening?”
Summer 2017 is the time frame that we have been given regarding the grand opening of the store, with the exact storefront location yet to be announced. Here’s a hint though, let’s just say that the space will be somewhere on Queen Street West. Stay tuned to their Instagram page @ODToronto for all information regarding their location and grand opening date!
Image: Instagram/@ODToronto
Image: Instagram/@ODToronto
Image: Instagram/ODToronto
Image: Instagram/@ODToronto
Image: Instagram/@ODToronto
Are you excited for Overdose Toronto to Open?
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The ever-popular Queen St. West strip just got a new tenant.
Filson, the Seattle-based heritage brand known for stylish, durable outdoor accessories and clothing, will be opening up shop at 694 Queen St. West. Our friends at Retail-Insider report that the store will mirror the rugged, outdoor lifestyles that Filson is made for, with custom salvaged wood furniture, wooden floors and iron beams.
The store will be Filson’s second Canadian location, with the first slated to open in Vancouver. Both locations are scheduled to open this spring.
Take a peek inside Filson’s flagship store in Seattle for an idea of what’s to come:
Are you excited for Filson to open a store in Toronto? Let us know in the comment section.
Featured Image: Instagram/@Filson1897
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