EWANIKA Boutique is almost a secret. Tucked away in an unassuming nook of the North Annex, it's a place to be sought out. And once you arrive you're rewarded with a serene, curated space of rare finds, artful displays + exquisite taste. Brands you’ve never heard of, brands you’ve only seen on Instagram (because no one is cool enough to carry them in Toronto yet) + EWANIKA, the house line founded by shop owner + designer Trish Ewanika.

Trish is the coolest, and basically all the things I dream of becoming as a designer + business owner. She’s elegant. She always wearing the most perfectly voluminous trousers. And there’s a precision to her aesthetic eye and a realness to the way she designs clothes for women – a thoughtful sense of beauty, as she describes it. I truly admire it.

As I mentioned, Trish has an eye for the undiscovered both in terms of finding unique brands from far off places, as well as finding the new talent in Canada. It’s an honour to be sitting in her shop alongside MM6, Maryam Nasser Zadeh as well as Toronto talent like Corey Moranis + F. Miller. I sense a nurturing element as she ushers a new brand like Soft Focus into her space, giving us a platform to grow + share our brand. I can’t wait for you to discover us there.

And while you’re in the neighbourhood…

You can visit old-time institutions in the neighbourhood like the Vesta Lunch for a burnt cup of coffee or Annapurna for some old school vegetarian food. I’m a creature of nostalgia so I love them.

For something a bit more elevated stop into Flur, two doors over, for a beautiful selection of plants + flowers in a modern, botanical garden-type space. Chloe the owner is the sweetest.

And then wander 10 minutes west towards Shaw St. to have a properly good cup of coffee at Contra.