Distillery District is among my favourite places in Toronto – not only does it house production of a favoured adult beverage, but it offers some fantastic boutiques and little shops that are driven by the quality of their products and how unique they are in nature. I love it.

One such store would be the Distill Gallery, a store that houses works of over 120 emerging Canadian talent (whether it be jewelry, clothing, crafts, or contemporary design). Just being in the store made me feel at home, where everything felt so incredibly unique and organic – unlike the mainstream mass-manufactured pieces that we pick up from day to day.

More on the Boutique:

distill, located in Toronto’s distillery district, was established in 2003 with a mandate to show emerging canadian artists/craftspeople/designers contributing to contemporary material and visual culture.
over 120 makers from across canada contribute individual handmade works and the lower distill gallery has rotating exhibitions featuring solo or collective exhibitions – for a schedule of events, please visit www.distillgallery.com – happenings page.

Shopkeeper Allison Skinner is a ceramist and craft enthusiast genuinely interested in the special human investment of handmade objects. The distillery district is a neighbourhood built on the foundation of exhibiting the best in canadian and international arts and entertainment.

Toronto jeweller Leslie Jones created the Subway Bracelet that is my latest beloved piece to wear.

Leslie Jones is a graduate of U of W with a degree in fine arts. Her jewellery line is hand made from resin – all molds, beads and pieces are individually made by Leslie. Her designs are inspired by persons, places or things, often nostalgic or evoking emotional response for those who wear them. themes include: vintage barbies, comic characters, pop culture motifs and personas and more locally, toronto’s subway identifying signage.