store spotlight: love of mine
I’m finding it harder and harder to balance school with “real” life. I’ve taken this huge step forward with the trade shows in Vegas (we’re talking about 250 pieces for the initial buy!), making the reality of it that much closer and bringing my excitement to the next level. I just want to dive in, full force.
So I’m looking at finding a studio space now, somewhere that I can work out of and use for storage, shipping and photo shoots, as well as developing the online store and looking into my different options in terms of hosting. And then I get to start styling and shooting the clothing, and selling online!
Inspiration is such an important process of this for me, and putting together this blog has been such a valuable experience, being able to gather my thoughts and explore my creativity and receive your feedback and comments. So thank you for being part of this with me, and as always, I would love to hear from you!
And with that … Happy Monday!
One of the things I love about Queen St. West, the area I live in and the future home of bicyclette, is the constant source of inspiration that the various stores provide. A walk down the street offers a multitude of creative window displays and covetable products. I was first captivated by the butterfly collage that greets customers as they enter the store, and then upon glancing at the jewelry on display and the interior of the store itself, was intrigued. Love of Mine is a fairly new store on the Queen St. West strip in downtown Toronto, offering a well-curated collection of jewelry and accessories.
Love of Mine is for the individual. It was designed to provide each client with a unique shopping experience by connecting the loves of the store’s creator to those of the shoppers. Think of Love of Mine as a way to express your sophisticated creativity and individuality. For us, craftsmanship and artistry define each piece. With this in mind, our modern designs maintain a classic sensibility, always unique and always in style.
The pieces all have a vintage-inspired aesthetic, marrying old with new and offering truly unique pieces that it is hard not to fall in love with. Owner Anna Damelin says,“I like things that are natural and organic; modern with a little bit of kitsch. It’s about picking the special things that no one else has. I want to be able to love it now and still love it 10 years later.”
Prices range from $12 for headbands to upwards of $500, with trendy pieces priced in the lower range and those with semi-precious stones and more intricate details higher. The store itself has a gallery-esque quality, allowing the pieces to stand out and draw you in.
This is awesome! I love the rustic with the metallic, especially in those antler-like hooks. And that storage unit is amazing too.
@Alex
I know! I love the mix in materials and the juxtaposition of the sleek white fixtures with the rustic accents. And their merchandise is just as amazing!
The merchandise looks amazing but I’m hoping that your store will be a little more inviting and less of a gallery than this one. Personally, I might walk by this store (if they hadn’t had the butterfly wall) thinking it was a bit bare and therefore expensive and/or snobby… There are so many snobby stores too cool and pretty to be properly shopped
yeah…
@Amy Killoran
You’ve brought up a great point here, and one that I’ve thought about many times. I have the same feeling about many stores, especially in the downtown TO area, and that’s something that will definitely be a focus for me, through both visual merchandising and customer service. I like more of an open sell environment, where customers can interact with the products and the experience is more likened to that of a treasure hunt… eclectic, if you will!