Legacy vintage shop Public Butter, sister shop of Black Market, has just opened the motherland of vintage in Blue Banana’s old spot in Kensington Market. The gift shop emporium had called 250 Augusta Ave. home for 17 years before it suddenly shuttered its doors last fall, and an employee of Public Butter was quick to notice.
They faithfully tipped off the owners of Black Market — John Christmann, Bernard Chung and Roy Levine. Though they weren’t actively looking for a new space, they were experiencing a sales decline at Public Butter’s Parkdale location and were open to a new business opportunity.
“Within a day I was talking to them and then within a couple months, we had a lease signed, and here we are,” says Levine at a media event in the new space. “We just seized the opportunity.”
He credits the slower pacing in Parkdale to the demographic of the neighbourhood, noting that he feels they’ve been missing the mark a bit in terms of catering to the transitioning community. The goal is to shift the premium offerings to the Kensington neighbourhood while dedicating more affordable vintage to the Parkdale location. The merchandising won’t vary much in style, though will carry a slightly different mix than the new location. As for whether both shops will maintain the original name, it’s still to be determined.
The reason the name “Public Butter” carried over to the new location is because of what it represents.
“We believe in accessible, great merchandise,” says Levine. “So the ‘public’ aspect of it means it’s open to everyone, and the ‘butter’ is just beautiful, vintage.”
Given the massive size of the new space, it will offer a very different retail experience. For one, Levine says it will pay homage to Blue Banana by offering a general store vibe and stocking funky, cool gifts. While the space at large is still developing, in its soft open phase, Levine speculates that the inventory may also venture slightly away from fashion, dabbling in elements like vintage furniture and collectible pieces.
Prior to the official opening, the floor is already full of hundreds of deadstock vintage pieces, as well as a couple of booths dedicated to market vendors — a model that the shop may further develop. Vintage fashion influencer and occasional Streets of Toronto style consultant Maya Wohlfahrt did a full shop tour, sharing her finds.
Levine says he will likely do another call out for vendors on the shop’s social media page once they’re settled. Whether that be a weekend market model or something more permanent is up in the air.
“We are looking to rent some of the cases back there. If somebody has jewelry and they’re lockable — that’s what Blue Banana did, and we would probably do the same,” he explains. “It’s still a blank canvas right now. If people have entrepreneurial ideas, we invite that — we’re entrepreneurs at heart and we love to support the vintage community and the second-hand/circular economy in particular.”
Levine has only been a partial owner of the business for four years, having taken over for former owner Tracey Opperman shortly after the pandemic. He’d spent nearly 30 years working in corporate marketing before that, cherishing his love of vintage on the side, until he became disillusioned and decided it was finally time to chase his dream.
“I serendipitously bumped into John Christmann, the founder of Black Market, at an event. And I casually mentioned that if he was ever looking to exit, we should talk. And he said, funny enough, one of my partners is looking to transition, and six months later I was a partner. It was a dream come true,” says Levine.
Christmann is a legacy character in Toronto’s vintage community, having incorporated Black Market as a company in 1985 after selling clothing from the back of his Honda on Queen Street to punk rockers. “John started an empire,” says Levine — and now that empire is seeing its largest evolution yet.
You can visit the new Public Butter at 250 Augusta Ave. in Kensington Market, every day of the week from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. The store is currently in its soft opening phase, but is planning on a grand opening event that will include live DJs and giveaways. You can follow along on social media for the announcement.
