Fundraiser to support Made You Look jewellery store after $300,000 robbery
Parkdale’s jewellery studio and gallery Made You Look took a devastating hit last month when its “north side” location was robbed of an estimated $300,000 worth of items. The Queen Street West store sells “serious and special occasion” (read: pricey) jewellery handcrafted by local artisans, and doubles as a studio space for approximately 30 resident designers. Because of this unique setup, robbers were able to steal not only finished pieces of jewellery, but also artists’ tools and raw materials: gold, wire, stones and loose metals were among other supplies taken. Sales staffer Jennifer Day told us that some artists had their entire collections wiped out, and to help them get re-established, a fundraiser will be held on July 24 at the Cadillac Lounge with proceeds from ticket sales ($20 each, available at the door) going directly to those affected. If you’re unable to make the event, an account has been set up to receive donations on Indiegogo.
UPDATE: Made You Look owner Sarah Dougall has clarified the insurance situation. She explained that all finished items in the Made You Look storefront were covered by the store’s insurance, and so the artists were reimbursed for those losses. However, all raw materials and unfinished goods stolen from the artists’ work benches were not covered under store insurance. All proceeds from both the fundraiser event and the ongoing Indiegogo collection will be given to the uninsured artists to refurbish their supplies.
maybe i’m missing something here, but shouldn’t they have insurance to cover this? Why do we need to give them money?
isnt this what insurance is for?
Surely the store had insurance, but a small businesses that consigns their goods may not have insurance.
The designers don’t normally have insurance and sorry to hear the location owner didn’t buy insurance. Due to economic times our business is really slow and we wouldn’t be able to meet the rent next month, can we ask for donations through Toronto Life?
That is horrible news, Made You Look is an awesome store that I’ve recommended to friends and family over the years to repurpose vintage pieces and buy new unique (read: won’t find elsewhere) pieces. Support local artisans and the rock!
The artisan’s are independent and insurance is not affordable for most. Our designer was robbed and my husband’s wedding rings were stolen. The designer made them again, and the expense was all out of pocket for her.
It’s tragic that such Canadian talent can be put out of business by someone who would have just melted down the beautiful works of art and sold the metal for money.
It was fantastic to see the community out last night in support of “Made you Look” and thier artisans.
WHAT??
Dear Toronto Life and writer Victoria: Can you please add an edit to explain to us the insurance situation? Seems like everyone here is dying to know. You can’t just ignore stuff after you post it when there’s a huge gaping question
It’s wonderful to see Toronto Life and Made You Look support local talent.