Toronto is getting its first 100% Indigenous-owned department store this month, Canada Reviews

Just in time for holiday shopping, a completely Indigenous-owned department store filled with a curated selection of Indigenous brands is popping up in Toronto — and you won’t have to travel far to get your shopping done. The new shop, aaniin, will open its doors at the Eaton Centre this month.

Founder Chelsee-Marie Pettit, who is from Aamjiwnaang First Nation in Ontario, began aaniin (which means “hello” in Ojibwe) in 2021 as a streetwear brand featuring T-shirts, athleisure and accessories adorned with Anishnaabemowin phrases. Each design featured a QR code with a translation so that customers, whether familiar or unfamiliar with the Ojibwe language, could understand and share what they’re wearing. 

Aaniin quickly expanded into an online department store that includes a collection of Indigenous-owned clothing, makeup, accessories, jewelry and more — and when Pettit opened a pop-up shop in Stackt market in 2021, it was hugely popular with shoppers. By 2023, the pop-up transformed into a permanent storefront, which Pettit closed at the end of 2023 to focus on being able to expand nationwide.

Now, the growing brand is giving the Toronto market what it wants with a seasonal pop-up at none other than the Eaton Centre, from Nov. 29. to Dec. 31.

It will be the first-ever 100 per cent Indigenous-owned department store in Canada and will feature over 40 of the top Indigenous brands across the country, including Sephora favourite Cheekbone Beauty, Lesley Hampton, Section 35 and Mini Tipi. The 6,500-square-foot space will be filled with everything from apparel, jewelry, beauty, accessories, home goods, artwork, books and more, making supporting Indigenous creators even easier for shoppers. 

A release from aaniin also noted that there will be multiple Indigenous languages and Indigenous syllabics highlighted throughout the space, reflecting the brand’s original goals of bringing Indigenous languages into mainstream visibility and inviting curiosity and connection.

In a post on Pettit’s personal Instagram, she explained that this pop-up is a “final push” to prove how much people want the department store to become a permanent business in the Canadian economy. “I’m using this as a time to pause my business to propel it forward,” she wrote. “I’m so excited to see my initial vision of my Indigenous Department Store come to fruition before I go convince everyone I can across Canada that one day we will be here to stay!”

Pettit recently won the top prize on Indigenous business reality TV series Bear’s Lair, earning $100,000 in support of aaniin.

The pop-up shop will open on level two of the Eaton Centre next to Aritzia.