Late last year, Spacing, the magazine that focuses on urban issues, and Toronto’s concerns in particular, opened their first bricks-and-mortar retail location on Richmond St West. Beyond the obvious, being a publisher turned retailer – a significant brand extension venture in itself – Spacing is fueling Torontonians newly found city pride.
Expanding their reach
With the opening of the store, which features urban and city related products previously available primarily through their on-line store, Spacing has tread into relatively new and untested territory. Few magazines have made this necessary leap to extend their brand and their reach. In our digital world, with declining readership, savvy magazines are looking to new frontiers to continue to engage readers and remain relevant. Monocle, the international magazine that curates the best and most innovative that the world has to offer, has set the benchmark, successfully opening stores and even cafés in select major cities around the world. Through their combined satellite offices and retail platforms, Monocle is able to both keep abreast of latest trends around the world and keep their fingers on the pulse of uber consumers everywhere – all while reaching readers with a new and engaging touch-point. With this, they have set themselves apart as a true lifestyle brand that has the ability to resonate with local readers and consumers. Now, Spacing is extending their brand and expanding their reach with the hopes of becoming more than a magazine brand in their own right.
Toronto the proud?
Having lived in Toronto for most of my adult life, it has always seemed that aside from the sports teams, Torontonians have never been ones to wear their pride. Sure, most are quietly proud of this great cosmopolitan city but few would be caught dead wearing a t-shirt or hat emblazoned with anything Toronto. Even stores that sold quality well-designed “Toronto proud” product such as Oh Yes Toronto were the domain of tourists looking for more than cheap souvenirs.
But, if the retail scene is any indication, there seems to be a growing city pride. In the last few years, niche retailers such as the Drake General Store and Good Neighbour have been bringing to market a slew of products by local artisans and start-ups that honour not only our country but our city and urban neighbourhoods – from CBC paraphernalia and Toronto Public Library t-shirts to the City of Neighbourhood Toques from Tuck Shop Trading Co.
Recently, this newly found city pride and neighbourhood pride has even provided fodder for comedians. In early December the Comedy Bar mounted a comedy face-off of duelling neighbourhoods with their “Your Hood’s a Joke: East vs. West Toronto Comedy Battle”.
The new city store
The timing is perfect now for the Spacing store to become the voice and expression of proud Torontonians. The well-curated selection features unique, quality products sourced from local artists and craftspeople and celebrating the Toronto and its many neighbourhoods, from Mimico to Scarborough and everything in between. It’s a retail offering that feeds Torontonians’ burgeoning city pride as well as neighbourhood pride – while forging a positioning for Spacing as not so much a lifestyle, but as a partner and fellow neighbour.
