Monocle opens a shop and a bureau in Little Italy

Monocle, the magazine-turned-retail operation founded in 2007 by writer and editor Tyler Brûlé, opened a shop at 776 College Street yesterday, adding Toronto to a small but distinguished list of cities that includes London, New York, Tokyo and Hong Kong. Monocle’s stocklist is decidedly eclectic: it carries clothing brands like Orlebar Brown, Sunspel and its own collaborations with Porter and Comme des Garçons alongside boutique furniture, ceramic wine cups and digital radios–sort of a kitsch chic, Drake General Store-ish approach to retail. Monocle hasn’t abandoned its roots in media, though: the retail side will occupy only a scant 238 square feet while a broadcast studio and office dedicated to its magazine and design agency, Winkreative, will fill the rest of the 1,240-square-foot space.