MODERNIZING THE BEER STORE IN OTTAWA

Being from Montreal(Quebec) where you can buy alcohol pretty much anywhere (the SAQ, the supermarkets, the corner stores, the gas stations, etc.) the Beer Store is a bizarre and foreign concept to me. And the ones where you can't even get the beer yourself are even weirder. But ever since I first went to a Beer Store in Ottawa, I always thought it would be neat to revisit its concept, modernize its design and turn it into a boutique store specializing in various types of beers from all over the world.  

On a recent trip to the Distillery District in Toronto, I discovered that my vision already exists! There's actually a Beer Boutique and it looks amazing. 

The design is a mix of rustic and modern style with brick walls and old wooden shelves. Everything is displayed neatly and you can pick up your own beer. It's also very clean and doesn't smell!  Check out the light under the shelves reflecting on the floor. 

How awesome is the design of the cash area? It's simple but effective. Notice the industrial looking light fixture above the main display table. It goes very well with the style of the area which is a refurbished /moderrnized industrial victorian style.


It's not a huge store, but they managed to add really neat displays in various parts of the store.



I would love to redesign a Beer Store in Ottawa. I already thought of the color scheme that I think would suit the Westboro area very well (shown below). I'm thinking a new location on Richmond Rd, west of Churchills would be great. The American Apparel Store, located on the corner of Roosevelt, is closing, perhaps it's a great opportunity!


Photos : MoOt | Contemporist | Freddy in Space | Think Good | 

CeraGres is finally in Ottawa

One of the suppliers I was sad "leaving" as a designer when I moved to Ottawa was CeraGres. I worked with them while in Montreal and was really happy with their products, services, and especially with the way they organize their store. Every time I went there, I was inspired (which is a good thing for designers). Imagine my delight when I learned that they opened two new locations in Ottawa and Toronto.



I went to visit the new Ottawa store last week (they opened approximately a month ago), and I'm happy to say that they did not disappoint. The store is brightly light, clean and well organized. You can easily browse through all their inventory without too much effort, there's a lot to choose from and work with, you don't have to constantly ask for the price of a tiles as they are clearly labelled, and there are a lot of unique and original products that you can't find elsewhere.



They're not short on samples either. Check out these walls of backsplash tiles, each perfectly place on a little white cardboard and clearly labelled in the back. Notice also the slots underneath the counters where larger tiles are placed. There are also benches to make it more comfortable for clients, and even padding to put the tiles on so the surface of the counters don't get scratched. It seems like they thought of everything and that's the way I prefer shopping for tiles.



All in all, the new Ottawa location is just as inspiring and easy to browse through. So if you're into modern design and you're looking for something different, this is the place to be. On my recent visit, I was able to spot a couple nice tiles for the project I'm currently working on. I'll definitely be back.

Photos : CeraGres | MOOT

Mikaza Home is moving to a new showroom

If you haven't heard already, Mikaza Home is moving from their small starter boutique on Bank street into a much larger showroom. As a result, they're having a big clearance until September 1st on the items currently in the store.



The new showroom gives them the much needed space to showcase more of what the store has to offer. Located just on the other side of the Portage bridge (near all the federal government buildings) it is now closer to downtown Ottawa with parking in the back.

Urban Outfitter coming to Ottawa

If you follow Apt613, you probably already know that Urban Outfitter is coming to town. Since I moved here I always thought that it would be a great store to have in Ottawa (specially near the Byward Market) I even sent them an emailed them about it a little while back! They are coming to town this fall and will be located on Rideau street.

They have a great building to work with and it looks like Sajo will be taking care of the renovations of the building. Lucky them! I hope they come up with a really neat design for the store. I used to love talking a stroll to the one in Montreal to see how they designed their space and what neat modern-vintage items they had at their store. I can't wait to see what they come up with. Here's what the one in Montreal looks like (although they change their decor on the regular basis)





Here a small sample of original items you will find at Urban Outfitter.

lock of bird pillowcase set, 3-D Faux chandelier, Birdcage Hanging Lamp


Antoinette fainting sofa, Pod table, Flip storage sleeper sofa

Imm Living Alice Shake Me Salt and Pepper Set, Test tube shot set, Coke embossed Glass.

Photo: MOOT | Flickr 1, 2 | Urban Outfitter

Urban Barn opens in Ottawa

I recently was invited to visit the new Urban Barn store in the Byward Market, where Roche Bobois used to be. Coming from Montreal, I was not familiar with Urban Barn but some of my peers from out west were really excited to learn that the store was opening in town. They've done a great job with the space, which took them approximately 10 weeks to transform.



I was able to sit down and talk to Rick Bohonis (on the left), president of Urban Barn and Sébastien Duhaime Fauteux (on the right), general merchandise manager for the store (photo by Christopher King).



Rick started the company 20 years ago. A broken shoulder from an accident on a construction site while working as a materials supplier is what got him into the business. He started with one store in downtown Vancouver, which grew into several stores in Canada. The Byward location is their 38th store. When the space became available, they couldn't pass the opportunity, especially considering the fact that they've been looking into opening a store in Ottawa for a while. Eventually, there might be more Urban Barn stores with possible future locations in Kanata and Orleans.

Sébastien gets to travel all over the world to find unique items for the stores. He had many stories about the people he met and items he had found. For example, they carry a line of furniture from Vietnam made of recycled timber to custom rugs made in Montreal. Sébastien gets to pick trends and this year, it's all about birds. He got a little bird obsessed he said, so you'll see a lot of accessories inspired by birds, as shown below.


Clockwise (from top left) : Floral Bird Cutout Bowl, Reflect Mirror Wall Decor, Bird & Tree Tea Light Holder, Willow Candle Holder, Crunch Square Can, Baroque Regal Pheasant Statue, Finch Glass Bird Salt and Pepper Set, Bird Nest Vases

Photos: MOOT | Elevator Communications inc | Christopher King

Changes at EQ3

I recently went to visit EQ3 in the Byward Market and was pleasantly surprised with the changes they've made since I was there last time. The current color scheme for the first floor uses a lot of red accents in various places which catches your eyes as you come in. I love the new red lamps above the cash counter. They moved the beds to the first floor and the brick wall in the back is exposed. There's a much nicer flow to the space and you can really see the neat architectural features of the building such as the hardwood, the brick wall on the first floor or the large windows on the second floor.





It's always neat to see stores constantly changing things around to keep things interesting. It allows customers to discover or rediscover items they would otherwise miss. I'm looking forward to see what they do on the third floor as they are still undergoing some changes.

Sparks Street could use a little bit of Mary's help

Mary Portas (photo:Optomen)

I'm a big fan of Mary Queen of Shops, a British television show where Mary Portas, renown retail adviser and host of the show, helps small struggling independent shop owners become more successful. Whenever I walk on Sparks Street I can't help but think that it could use that kind of help. Currently, it's rather depressing. There's nothing exciting about it. It's just there.

Examples of shops on Sparks Street (photo: MOOT)
Sparks Street is another location in Ottawa that has a lot of potential, a great location and great architecture. It could and should become an international landmark but it needs a theme, a focus, something like quirky little independent shops showcasing talented Canadians designs from various parts of the country, or maybe just more visually attractive shops that make better use of their frontage like Happy Pills in Barcelona.


Happy Pills Candy Shop in Barcelona (photos: Brandon blog | Hiroko Kitchen )

Mikaza Home showcasing student talents

I finally had a chance to check out mikaza home a couple days ago. The name Mikaza comes from the names of its owners,Mirhan and Katia Zaroukiana, a husband and wife team who left their 9 to 5 job to start their own business. The store is a cute little place on Bank street specializing in modern furniture and accessories.

An interesting feature of the store is that they recently started to support local designers and are currently showing products made by local students.

Poetry by Olivia Bradateanu is a very interesting floating shelve that opens up at one end into four strings curving up in various directions as if the wind had picked up. This gives the shelve a light and airy feel.

I also like Reflection by Shirley Wong. It's an acrylic side table that can be customized. It consists of two overlapping transparent tables with a decorative sheet sandwiched between them. In this case the designer used an ANNO LJUV panel curtain from IKEA.

Mikaza is planning something big for next year, so stay tuned for more.

EQ3 Clearance Sale

If you like modern furniture and you're looking for a bargain, you might want to check out EQ3 on Merivale road. Sadly the store will be closing on November 1st so everything must go.