Store Guide: Spacing, the independent city magazine’s first Toronto-centric retail outlet
Store Guide: Spacing, the independent city magazine’s first Toronto-centric retail outlet
Name: Spacing Store
Sells: Toronto-themed merchandise
Contact info: 401 Richmond St. W., spacingstore.ca
Hours: M-Fr 11-7, Sa 12-6
Spacing, the city’s independent urban-landscape magazine, has just opened its first Toronto-centric retail store. (Actually, it’s the city’s only strictly Toronto-centric store, if you don’t count tacky souvenir shops.) The mag’s been selling its wildly popular subway station buttons (500,000 of which have been sold since launching ten years ago), transit t-shirts and other merch online for years. Now, city enthusiasts can browse all kinds of Toronto paraphernalia in person, including screen-printed pillows of the Great Lakes, neighbourhood toques, vintage maps and posters, and a variety of cycling gear (we quite like the six-pack beer caddies).
Says Spacing’s publisher Matthew Blackett, “We wanted to uphold our ethos, which is trying to change the city in a positive way.” The retail project they’re the most proud of? Screen-printed skate decks designed by students enrolled in alternative credit program Oasis Skateboard Factory’s wood-shop class. (Visitors can grab one for $120, and know that 70 per cent will go to the teen artist.) For literary urbanists, there’s a reading nook in the corner stocked with 50 titles, including photography books on the CN Tower, foodie books like Edible Toronto and, of course, Dark Age Ahead by Jane Jacobs. (Clearly a fan of the author, the shop also carries t-shirts that read “What would Jane Jacobs do?”) Pretty much everything in the store (aside from the Ikea furniture) is made in Canada or the States.
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- The floor units in the space are meant to mimic the city's peaked rooftops.
- (Image: Jenna Marie Wakani)
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- There's a whole wall of subway station buttons ($2) and fridge magnets ($3).
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- Other popular buttons include “Atwood for Mayor” and “Bike Riding Pinko” (a <a href="http://www.torontolife.com/informer/features/2011/06/08/reasons-to-love-toronto-bike-riding-pinkos/" target="_blank">cheeky response</a> to the notorious Don Cherry rant.)
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- These candles are from Parkdale brand <strong>Smells Like Canada</strong>, whose line of products captures iconic Canadian scents (including Hogtown peameal bacon).
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- We love this Great Lakes throw pillow, screen-printed by local artist <strong>Nicole Tarasick</strong>. (The store sources some of their products from Etsy.) $95
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- A selection of colourful cycling-themed tumblers. $10
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- Fed up with the scope of the TTC? You can build your own fantasy subway map with these metro magnets. $18
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- Die-hard riders may enjoy these “cycle critters,” made from recycled bike parts. $40–$200
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- Though you can pick up <b>Tuck Shop'</b>s City of Neighbourhoods toques at various Toronto boutiques, the Spacing store has the biggest selection. (Case in point: it stocks both the The Beach <em>and </em>Beaches toques.)
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- Here's an image by <strong>Matthew Borrett</strong> depicting how Toronto might look after an apocalyptic event. (You can see other visions <a href="http://www.torontolife.com/informer/toronto-culture/2014/11/04/pin-calendar-shows-post-apocalyptic-toronto-look-like/slide/fallen-toronto-01-intro/">here</a>.) $190
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- Longstanding Junction residents may appreciate having their 'hood laser-cut into a slab of maple plywood. (These maps are made by Ottawa company <b>Urbanwood.</b>) $105
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- Simple transit toques make a good gift for the low-key streetcar lover. $35
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- The students at <b>Oasis Skateboard Factory</b> were tasked with creating a design based on a lecture given by Blackett. Shoppers will see one deck depicting a scene from the G20 protests. $120
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- Yes, this is a beer holder that attaches to your bicycle. (This will probably become much more popular in another five months when Trinity Bellwoods becomes habitable again.) $75
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- A selection of merchandise. The store carries a few Montreal-themed t-shirts and toques, too. As Blackett says, “We love Montreal. We don't go for that inter-urban rivalry.”
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- A vintage map of Toronto for those who long for simpler times. (For example, when the entire north-west portion of the city was known as “Stephen's Ward”). $40
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- A sartorial shout-out to the west end. $30
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- Blackett says that the reading nook was designed in the hopes that customers will linger. (With over 50 interesting books on display, most customers will find <em>something</em> to pique their interest.)
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![](http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https://torontolife.com/style/store-guide-spacing/&title=Store Guide: Spacing, the independent city magazine’s first Toronto-centric retail outlet&picture=https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/spacing-toronto-store-guide-20-intro-624x395.jpg&description=[caption id="attachment_300898" align="alignnone" width="656"] (Images: Jenna Marie Wakani)[/caption]
Name: Spacing Store
Sells: Toronto-themed merchandise
Contact info: 401 Richmond St. W., spacingstore.ca
Hours: M-Fr 11-7, Sa 12-6
Spacing, the city's independent urban-landscape magazine, has just opened its first Toronto-centric retail store. (Actually, it's the city's only strictly Toronto-centric store, if you don't count tacky souvenir shops.) The mag's been selling its wildly popular subway station buttons (500,000 of which have been sold since launching ten years ago), transit t-shirts and other merch online for years. Now, city enthusiasts can browse all kinds of Toronto paraphernalia in person, including screen-printed pillows of the Great Lakes, neighbourhood toques, vintage maps and posters, and a variety of cycling gear (we quite like the six-pack beer caddies).
Says Spacing's publisher Matthew Blackett, “We wanted to uphold our ethos, which is trying to change the city in a positive way.” The retail project they're the most proud of? Screen-printed skate decks designed by students enrolled in alternative credit program Oasis Skateboard Factory's wood-shop class. (Visitors can grab one for $120, and know that 70 per cent will go to the teen artist.) For literary urbanists, there's a reading nook in the corner stocked with 50 titles, including photography books on the CN Tower, foodie books like Edible Toronto and, of course, Dark Age Ahead by Jane Jacobs. (Clearly a fan of the author, the shop also carries t-shirts that read “What would Jane Jacobs do?”) Pretty much everything in the store (aside from the Ikea furniture) is made in Canada or the States.
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