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Unsecret Shopping
These (recessionary) days, with “shop” and “excuse to” so rarely separable in a breath, what’s as perfect as the pop-up? Nothing. Sale signs, in their bright, pleading ubiquity, have lost their ubiquity. This winter’s long, and garages haven’t turned out their doors yet; neither have the farmers’ or Kensington street markets.
But a one-weekend-only shop-op? Once again, there’s some small thrall in the hunt for overstocked Cheap Mondays, locally stitched and screenprinted tees, and glad-handy canvas bags.
These are a few of the things you can buy at “Personal Belongings,” an I Love Karamel pop-up event in conjunction with the scene-central Studio Gallery (294 College Street, second floor, just west of Spadina). We snuck in for a preview yesterday, and were immediately charmed by the un-boutiquey, totally open concept. There are racks of pastel graphic-print wears, stacks of Tiny Vices books and graphic novels, and TKRFLD bags—fresh from Philly and sold nowhere else (we know of) in the city—hanging from clotheslines. But our fave item is, obviously, an exclusive: the eco-friendly totes, designed by Colin Bergh and printed with the cover of his favourite mag, the aptly named Fantastic Man.
Public shopping days are today from noon to 11 p.m. and tomorrow, noon to 9 p.m. If you’re looking for bloggable street style or an art book that’s more Americano-to-go than coffee-table, don’t miss it. But if you do, you can hope that Denise (the cute girl behind the desk, and the brains behind I Love Karamel’s normally web-only operations) makes good on her word. Yesterday, she told us she’d like to make this “different kind of shopping experience” a seasonal thing.
Then again, if you’re not in the mood for new, swing over to 81 Foxley today between noon and 8 p.m. for the best values in the village. Why? Sad story: Marylou Flamingo, the adorable Dundas West vintage trove, recently fell victim to hard times. But the owner’s got her chin up and her prices down, inviting friends and 50s frock-lovers over to buy up her stock. Think of it as a wake.
Photo courtesy of I Love Karamel.