Get ready, Toronto — the pop-up market to end all pop-up markets is back next weekend for a two-day extravaganza. Two of the city’s biggest vendor markets, Hippie Market and The Welcome Market, are joining forces again for a collaboration that has been years in the making. On Oct. 18–19, the former two-storey Anthropologie space on Queen West will be filled with over 50 of Toronto’s coolest shops, art, handmade goods, vintage treasures and more.
The building is a bit of an icon on Queen Street for its historic exterior (formerly a church) and sprawling 7,000-square-foot interior, featuring exposed brick, stained glass windows and seriously boho vibes. Anthropologie had occupied the building since 2015, and only recently vacated the space in January of this year. Clearly no new vendor has stepped up to take over the space permanently yet — but for now, Torontonians will benefit from the vacancy with the launch of this market collaboration!
This is the second event in this space — Hippie Market and The Welcome Market hosted their first ever collaborative pop-up at the former Anthropologie in June, to great success.
A video, posted jointly by Hippie Market and The Welcome Market, shows clips from their last event. The two floors are covered in booths, ranging from designer accessories to era-specific finds. Wood flooring, old fireplaces, soaring ceilings and arched windows add to the vintage vibes of the space. Arguably the best part is the well-lit changing rooms, a remnant of the old Anthropologie store, which makes the shopping experience even more seamless (vintage clothes can be notoriously challenging when it comes to sizing).
It’s no surprise these two markets finally decided to merge (even just for the occasional pop-up) — The Welcome Market currently occupies a space at 938 Queen St. W., and the park just across the street is often where Hippie Market pops-up during the summer months.
Now, the neighbours-turned-collaborators will bring a whole new shopping experience to the city with the pop-up market at 761 Queen St. W., running from 11 a.m.–6 p.m.
