Popular Toronto clothing brand is closing flagship store to focus on new business model

If you're a fan of local design in Toronto, you'll be sad to hear that one of the best clothing stores for Canadian goods in the city will be closed by the end of the year.

North Standard posted to social media announcing that they'd be moving on from their physical storefront. They were known for their cute bear logo and stock of practical yet stylish goods with an outdoorsy, camping-type aesthetic. The store was owned by a couple who actually even got married on site.

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"What started as a retail shop with a couple items with our branding, flipped into a brand with a retail shop. As the brand grew, we partnered with like-minded retailers across the country who wanted to carry our brand, and these retailers have become an extension of NSTP," reads the caption to their post.
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"COVID-19 has brought many challenges to the shop, but has also forced us to rethink our business model. We are thankful for the support we have received from our customers, our landlord, our suppliers, and the government, but the pandemic is not going away anytime soon, and we need to adjust."

Although the storefront may be closing, they say they're going to be dedicating more time to growing their brand and their retail partnership, and that fans should "Stay tuned for more exciting news and information."

"COVID hit and really made us re-think our business model as we had to shut down the shop for months. But what it made us realize is that even before COVID, we were lacking focus. We were divided between running a retail shop and running a brand and we felt like both were beginning to suffer," says Pamela Hopson, one of the owners.

"Both required our attention, energy, and creativity and we didn’t have enough to give. This perfect storm helped us solidify our decision to close the retail store so we could focus on growing our brand, supporting our online shop, and expanding with our retail partners."

The last day for North Standard will be Dec. 24, 2020.

"We planned to stay open until Dec. 24, but then the Toronto lockdown started on Nov. 23, so for now we are offering curbside pick up hours at the shop," says Hopson. "If the lockdown is lifted, and we feel it is safe, we may open back up for limited shopping hours in-store."