There are only a few stores in Toronto that are decidedly Canadian in spirit, but Francesco Fiore and Pamela Hopson are hoping to generate enthusiasm towards our home and native land with their new Parkdale store, North Standard Trading Post.
Fiore and Hopson have a combined 15 years of retail experience, and they took a diligent approach to fleshing out the ideas behind store. It finally opened its doors at the end of April.
“It’s really a nod to history,” says Fiore. “A trading post is where people used to go, to one location, to get things for person, house and home.”
That ethos drives this clothing and lifestyle store, from the merchandise to the interior design. Many of the products here are Canadian, but even when importing products, NSTP makes sure they are “Canadian in spirit.” Hunter boots from England and wearable sleeping bags from Portland may seem to have no connection, but they share the same utilitarian nature and the same ability to weather the elements.
The store’s products range from $20 to $300, and they include jackets, camping bags, mugs, artwork, accessories, blankets and small items for the home.
NSTP feels very much like the paradise of a Canadian beer commercial: familiar and rustic. Hopson and Fiore conceived the interior, and local Junction carpenters Sixpenny brought the ideas to life by building the sales desk, the shelves and the fitting rooms, which look like small ice fishing huts.
“We wanted it to be a beautiful shop, but approachable,” says Hopson.
You may have to travel a bit west to find NSTP, but when you get there, you’ll find that it’s a beacon of the north.
North Standard Trading Post, 1662 Queen St. W., 647-348-7060