Lossless Toronto: Cottage Industry

There are shops and boutiques all over Toronto, from Corktown to Yorkville and back, showcasing the very best in Toronto and Canadian designs. But then there are those who choose to sell their wares exclusively online.  Today, Lossless brings you the very best in Toronto shops running online and making it in the Cottage Industry 2.0 game.

For those living under a rock and offline for the last seven years, Etsy is an online shopping haven for all things handmade and vintage. It’s a fun, easy and (be warned) addictive way to find the perfect swimsuit, pair of earrings, or whatever you’re looking for. Some shops do custom orders and some designers with established storefronts, such as Bookhou and Kid Icarus, use the site to augment their online sales.

Toronto Street offers gorgeous and gritty black and white photos of scenes from around the city.

We’ve all seen and coveted the typographical maps of Toronto neighborhoods on everything from totes to coffee mugs but Casey Von Esteban offers an alternative homage to the city. With painstaking effort, Casey lovingly hand-embroiders maps of Toronto onto pieces of wood.

Charlyn of Hopscotch makes rolly-polly wooden dolls, taking inspiration from nature to create the line of “Beautiful Biology”. From Jellyfish to Barn Owls, each doll promises whimsy and charm.

Buying anything leather for a baby seems crazy when those little humans grow so fast clothes seem to just bust at the seams within minutes of getting them dressed. But Aja Lor offers incredibly beautiful shoes for the under-one set and at a steal of a price, most pairs are under $35.

For those who are a fan of Queen Street West boutique Bicyclette’s aesthetics and tastes check out the jewelry of Chiji Collection by Christine. Cotton candy colours and patisserie sweet themes make this collection luscious.

Another talent jewelry maker is Shannon Kehler of Moonlight for Violet. Among other masterfully made items, Shannon has a line of tri-colour hexagonal necklaces that are just too good not be around the neck of everyone in Toronto.

Inspired by a question posed by her then two-year-old son Michelle Matsui of Kempton Jones made these fun totes. The “Is It A Weekend Day Today” totes, along with the Life’s Soundtrack sound wave tea towels, are the standouts in this small screen print and textile shop.

If you’d like to keep up with Toronto makers, crafters, and artists on Etsy follow the updates over at Toronto Etsy Street Team. They’re a group of hard working craft nuts who will bring you regular updates and interviews.