Two Toronto vintage savants are uniting to launch a new Queen West shop that’s all about archival fashion and a luxury shopping experience. Calling the new vintage store Statuette, the owners are bringing years of experience to the venture — Alisa Elizabeth of Shop King Lis and Bessie Barlis of The New Store Vintage have both spent the entirety of their adult years selling vintage, and began their respective practices at 18 and 19.
When they crossed paths in Toronto’s vintage scene, it didn’t take them long to see that they had a shared vision. Now in their mid to late twenties, the experienced curators aim to facilitate a luxury second-hand womenswear experience that blends the expertise of personal shopping with a deep love of archival fashion.
“I knew I wanted to work with someone on this level,” says Barlis. “Someone who isn’t treating fashion as a casual hobby, but takes it seriously.”
Located in West Queen West, Statuette will be open for public shopping on Saturdays and Sundays from 12-7 p.m., and exclusively by appointment during the week. You can book a slot via the link on the store’s Instagram. The inventory will feature a synchronous blend of each brand, while the pair will also continue to manage their respective shops separately online.
“It’s very much us joining forces,” says Elizabeth.
Both source their pieces from all over the world, and their curation is often influenced by their travels. Barlis gravitates towards a lot of European vintage, from the ’80s to 2000s, though she puts more onus on the quality of a piece, rather than decade of origin. Elizabeth similarly has a penchant for Italian and Japanese brands, but specializes in collecting McQueen and Dsquared2 in particular.
“I curate a lot of brands that I wouldn’t consider obscure, but because they’re so hard to find in Toronto, they’re considered obscure here,” says Elizabeth. “I want to be able to close that gap.” Pieces will also vary widely in price so as to be accessible to all kinds of shoppers.
Pulling from Barlis’ experience in personal shopping — she previously worked for brands like Holt Renfrew before quitting to pursue her vintage brand full-time — Statuette will facilitate a shopping experience that places a lot of attention on the customer and their personal preferences.
“We know that not every single shopper is a stylist and not everybody is necessarily good at styling themselves,” said Elizabeth. “Now we can provide someone with the experience of seeing themselves in something that they wouldn’t have picked out for themselves, [which allows] them to gain confidence and a new understanding of clothing.”
The shop will also feature a permanent collection of fashion and art books to help inspire and educate customers. “People are able to come to the store, and they don’t necessarily have to shop. We just want to provide resources and access for people to learn more about fashion, learn more about brands and learn more about history,” says Elizabeth. “I feel like once people are opened up to that, they’re gonna fall in love with it.”
A lot of her own interest in fashion was influenced by window shopping in Toronto as a child, particularly on Queen Street West.
“My dream is to create a store that inspires people the way stores inspired me. It’s so much more than selling clothes, it’s telling stories, sharing history, inspiring confidence,” she says. “I’m super interested in how clothing changes the way that people think, feel and behave — I love seeing those changes happen in real time. Clothing should make women feel strong, empowered and confident, walking with their head held high.”
Statuette is opening to the public this weekend, May 3 and 4, at 135 Tecumseth St., Unit 1.
