Guests On Earth Guests On Earth Who: Liz Drayton & Jackie Prince Where: Toronto, ON Instagram Website How would you use the $10,000 CAD fund for your business? See All Winners

A Conversation With Florence Tang of Lot Stock & Barrel Florence Tang is a co-founder of Lot Stock & Barrel, one of LA's premier design studios and clothing stores with a specialty in chain stitched designs and vintage garments. Florence is a Toronto native with a background in graphic design and relocated to California to continue her studies and pursue a career as a visual merchandiser for Levi's before starting LSB. @florencewtang // @lotstockandbarrel LSB has put together some really cool projects over the years. What are your 5 favourite you've worked on? The most interesting projects would be: Coachella LSB x Mastercard Collaboration ASOS x LSB Collaboration Lucky Brand x LSB Collaboration Nike x Carhartt launch Each of these projects were so interesting, combining all of our teams' talents with product that really shined. What are 5 keys to a successful collaboration? Theres only ONE and that is letting each team do what they're best at! Meaningful collaborations combine talents to create innovative product, and should be the ultimate goal. We have been lucky enough to work with some great partners that have allowed us to showcase our craftsmanship and have respected our creative processes. Besides all of the great stuff LSB does, who are 5 designers or brands you're really into right now? This one is really hard, there are some great brands out there, doing really innovative stuff! Heavy hitters that continue to impress are Stone Island, Jacquemus and Sacai. Nicole Benisti has beautiful quality outerwear and I'm also a huge fan of Ruslan Baginskiy headwear. Who are 5 brands that you would you love to work on a project with next? The dream client pool is large, but top 5 would include: Prada Maison Margiela MSGM Alyx Proenza Schouler Lastly, everyone starts small but it seems like you have figured out a thing or two. What are your top 5 tips for growing your business? Be clear in your vision Be able to adapt quickly Treat everyone with respect Foster and cultivate your team. Your company is only as good the people who make it what it is. Don't be discouraged when things don't go as planned. Put your head down and keep working!

Pier Five x PUMA: Community Court Day 2023 Earlier this month, Pier Five proudly hosted its first ‘Community Court Day’ event in Toronto in partnership with PUMA. The event was designed to give entrepreneurs and creatives a new way to connect outside of the office in a space that was conducive to conversation and relationship building. As big proponents of 'breaking up the work week', Pier Five brought out 25 of Toronto's cultural change-makers, including business owners, artists, content creators and brand leads to spend a day on the court, a place that fostered so many relationships for us growing up. The day got started with guests arriving to a care package with some of PUMA's newest basketball gear; of course we had to hook them up in the best. From the beginning, strangers instantly started becoming friends and learning about each other. There's something about trying on new sneakers with others that get spirits high. After some introductions, basketball coach/trainer and founder of Core Basketball, Ali Nizam, started the day with warmups and partner drills designed to get people out of their comfort zone. Regardless of experience, every single person was sweating by the end of it. Spirits were definitely high, and safe to say we were all on an equal playing field after that. The warm ups were followed up refreshments from our friends at Neutria and Barbet who kept us hydrated throughout the day and a good 'ol fashioned 'name game' - of course we had to bring some summer camp memories back - to help everyone learn a bit more about who was in the room. After that, guests were put into teams to put their skills to the test. Every single person was playing hard and throwing it down! Lastly, we wrapped the day with a roundtable-style discussion focused on getting out of your comfort zone, something that is key for entrepreneurs and that every guest of the day demonstrated so well that day. The #1 goal of the day was give creatives and entrepreneurs a unique space to get to know each other and we couldn't be more proud of how much that was accomplished. In an age of social media connections and a non-stop grind to the top, finding time to meet likeminded individuals in-person, even those in our own backyard, can be very difficult but when you find a way to do it, break down all of the walls, and just let people jam, the results are incredible. A major thank you to every single person who came out with an open mind and willingness to learn. We can't wait to see how these conversations turn into incredible things outside of the gym doors. As well, thank you to Neutria and Barbet for the incredible drinks and of course, thank you so much to PUMA for supporting our vision of creating unique spaces for inspiring people to connect and grow. We can't wait until the next one!

Doing It His Way With Rae Mendoza of ICYT They say that pressure produces diamonds and this definitely shows through with Rae Mendoza and I'll Call You Tomorrow, his clothing brand and artist collective based out of Edmonton, AB that has been working hard to put their city on the map amongst the heavy hitters of Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal. We got the opportunity to chat with Rae about the growth of his collective, how it opened up new doors with his agency Tomorrow Works and tips he has for creatives looking to get noticed. Read some excerpts from the conversation below! Rae on Building Things His Way Being housed and running everything from our home city of Edmonton, Alberta is really freeing for us. It lets us build our community how we want to do it and not as a reflection of something else. We just love this challenge of building new infrastructure and new opportunities for people that resonate with our platform where they don't typically exist. It also just lets us be a bigger fish in a small pond. Rae on Working With Friends I was very fortunate from the start to just always be around just super talented people, whether it was photography, design, music, now tattooing and illustration. Once I started working with them though, I really quickly realized where now as a business owner working with my best friends, it's up to me to set those boundaries of like, "in this space we're professionals working together and I'm holding you accountable for deliverables, and we have a specific function we need to do, and then we can go back to being friends outside of that space." In terms of finding the right people, a lot of it comes down to that gut feeling of knowing that we see things eye to eye, whether it's like good product, good design, taste levels, community, or you just knowing that this person's honestly just a good person. Rae on Finding New Opportunities Tomorrow Works as an agency has this living portfolio that is always constantly putting out new work in the form of I'll Call You Tomorrow. The bulk of our business just comes from people seeing our brand and then knowing that they can do something similar for their brand and their business. It's such a small circle these days of who is interconnected, putting your work out there and just showing that what you can do and how you deliver it at a very high level is the most important thing. Most of those things will kind of just sort themselves out and come to you. Then as a consultant and on the agency side, it comes down to you being ready for those looks as they come. Rae on Passing The Torch We started noticing it happening now as me and my team, we're getting a little bit older, where young kids will come up to our events and our parties and they'll be like, "I'm 22 or 21 and the first pop up or cool art party that I ever went to was one of your events and now I'm starting my own t-shirt line or I want to do certain things in the streetwear and arts community because of that event" and seeing that grow outside of us is some true 'pass the torch' legacy type shit. That's the stuff that keeps me up at night that I love. Make sure to follow I'll Call You Tomorrow and Tomorrow Works on IG for news on all of their upcoming events, projects and clothing releases and keep it locked to Pier Five for more conversations with entrepreneurs coming soon.

Zing Zing Who: Jannine Rane Where: Toronto, ON Instagram Website How would you use the $10,000 CAD fund for your business? See All Winners

David 'LeBicar' Bicari Where: Montreal, QC What: Visual Artist / Painter David Bicari, aka LeBicar, is a Montreal based visual artist who "works in black and white and draws flowers for a living". Lebicar has been a friend of Pier Five for over a year since meeting in Montreal last summer where a 1-hour studio visit turned into an entire day of eating, drinking, exploring art around the city and partying at the Mural Festival concert. Read more about that here . We are big fans of David's simple and playful line drawings and are excited to have his original works as a part of the grant collection. Why are you excited to be a part of the grant project? I think the grant is a great way to create opportunities for the younger generation of creatives. I am really excited to be a role model to some and any time that I can use my efforts to help empower or lift others, I am all for it. Hopefully this can help shine some light on other young artist and give them the tools they need to grow. Can you tell us about the pieces that you've made for the grant? The series I made for this project is about collaboration and giving back. You can see a big flower with a smaller one on the side. It's a little like the big and little brother relationship. I also made a design for the prints featuring Bloom, my little character, watering a plant. It's the idea of growth and giving someone the chance to evolve and live out their dreams. See All Designers Lookbook (Coming Soon) Shop (Coming Soon)

Access funding for your small business or creative project in Canada from Pier Five. Pier Five Funding Programs We know how important access to capital can be as you launch and scale your business. With the help of our community and brand partners, Pier Five has helped connect Canadian business owners with $250,000 CAD in support and funding since 2022. If you are an organization interested in working with Pier Five to support emerging small business owners, send us an email at community@pier-five.com ! Pier Five x Intak Printing Activation Grant 2025 Mastercard x Pier Five Small Business Fund Pier Five Creators Grant

Stories Read the latest thoughts from Pier Five and its guests. Business (86) 86 posts Art & Design (65) 65 posts Streetwear (62) 62 posts Sneakers (43) 43 posts Wellness (30) 30 posts Food (21) 21 posts Activism (19) 19 posts Sports (18) 18 posts Photography (17) 17 posts Music (12) 12 posts Tech (1) 1 post The Difference Maker: How Canadian Small Business Owners Turned AI Into Action 9 hours ago Why We Finally Incorporated - And Why You Should Too (With Ownr) Apr 26 Pier Five Turns Five: A Landmark End-of-Year Celebration and the Launch of Pier Five Studios Dec 15, 2025 The AI Studio: How Pier Five and HP Canada Empowered Canadian Small Businesses with AI Oct 15, 2025 Small Business Activation Grant Runner Up: Yueh Tung Restaurant Jun 22, 2025 Small Business Activation Grant Runner Up: Stimmie Jun 22, 2025 Small Business Activation Grant Winner: Grays Jun 22, 2025 Pier Five’s Mental Health Mixer: A Space to Reset, Reflect, and Connect Jun 5, 2025 Mental Movement Day with Pier Five and Puma Brings Toronto’s Creative Community Together for Yoga, Wellness, and Open Conversation Jun 3, 2025 A Spring Clean-Up Day to Remember Apr 30, 2025

A Conversation With Tara Miller of Health Hut Tara Miller is a Certified Nutritionist, Intuitive Eating Counsellor and Diet Recovery Coach, as well as an advocate of the Anti-Diet movement. Through her experiences in nutrition and healthy living, she founded Health Hut, one of Toronto's premier destinations for the best health and wellness products. Tara has taken a kinder approach towards promoting health, emphasizing the importance of pleasure, flexibility and autonomy in your individual journey. @taramariemiller // @shophealthhut A lot of people see dieting as a way to become “healthier” or more “fit” but you are an anti-diet nutritionist. What are 5 common misconceptions or things people should understand before looking at dieting as a solution? Diets don’t work. We as humans are not hardwired for restriction. Diets interfere with our innate ability to feed and care for ourselves by ignoring our inner cues and desires. When we look outside ourselves for answers on how to eat, it is not an enjoyable or sustainable practice. Restriction increases our desire for “forbidden” or “off limit” foods. It also causes that “out of control” feeling that is just a reaction to deprivation, but often deemed a moral failing or lack of willpower. Diets come at a cost to other areas of our life like mental and emotional health. Dieting won’t make you more “healthy” or fit, especially since they can not be sustained. Eating more veggies can positively contribute to health, as well engaging in movement you enjoy will help improve fitness levels. Consider the actions that are more directly related to your goals, adding in rather than taking away, and listening to your body as you go. Besides the HH Blog, what are 5 books or blogs that have great information about nutrition and healthy living that people should check out? What are 5 easy things people can do at home to help with their mental health and wellness? Get to know yourself. Ask questions and get curious - what do you need more/less of? Replace your critical voice with a compassionate one (this gets easier with practice) Stop comparing yourself to others, embrace your uniqueness Try seeing the glass as half full Find pleasure in the mundane We of course have to ask, as a nutritionist, what are five of your favourite foods? Pizza with pineapple A leafy salad with radicchio, greens, lots of herbs tossed with a garlicky vinaigrette Cheese, crackers and olives Chocolate, banana and peanut butter smoothies Pasta (all types!) The story of selling products out of an old Ice Cream Hut is so fun! We know this might be tricky but can you break down, in 5 steps, how you made the big leap from Ice Cream Hut to Downtown Toronto shop? Slow and steady! We have made lots of small moves over the past ten years to get to where we are now. An AMAZING team of people Consistent hard work A supportive customer base and community Staying positive :) Small business shoutout time! What are 5 great lunch spots in Toronto that everyone should know about? Bar Isabel has a great fixed price lunch right now! Daily Dumpling Wonton Co is amazing. Their vegan dumplings are an HH staff favourite! You have to try their chilli oil, too. Barocco Nino for delicious pizza, Italian sandwiches and cannoli Sunshine Market makes great smoothies, veggie heavy wraps and sandwiches Harry Charbroiled - The Classic Jane burger is another staff fave

2024 Recipient: Remix Snacks Explore the Mastercard x Pier Five Small Business Fund Introducing Remix Snacks, one of the ten recipients of the Mastercard x Pier Five Small Business Fund 2024! Founder: Isabelle Lam Location: Toronto, ON Discover Remix Snacks online: Website // Instagram About Remix Snacks Remix Snacks is an Asian female-led company founded by dietitians that creates bean-based snacks using upcycled ingredients to reduce food waste. Their mission is to make beans fun and approachable, highlighting their delicious and nutritious qualities while addressing common hesitations about them. The company offers two high-protein, high-fiber snack lines: Bean Bark, a dark chocolate treat made with 70% dark chocolate, black beans, and upcycled fruit, and Beanies, a savory puff made with mung beans and upcycled carrots. All products are diet-inclusive—free from nuts, dairy, gluten, and preservatives—and are Plastic Neutral certified through the rePurpose Program, removing plastic waste from the environment. How will the fund make an impact with your business? Remix Snacks will use the grant to fuel growth and streamline operations. For in-store sampling ($2,000), which has driven over 200% sales lifts at retailers like Sobeys and Metro, the grant will help hire brand ambassadors to expand sampling nationwide, increasing reach and sales. For R&D ($500), we aim to lower ingredient costs to improve margins and offer more affordable products to consumers. A Walmart campaign ($2,500) will combine digital and in-store activations to double business with the retailer while boosting brand awareness. Lastly, for cash flow and packaging updates ($5,000), the grant will fund large production orders for expanding retailers and improve case packaging to enhance visibility and sales at Walmart. What is your long term goal for the company? As we solidify establishing our brand in Canada, we plan on expanding to the US market over the next few years. We’re specifically looking at the states of Washington and New York, as they are close to the border for shipping and distribution, and have consumers that align with our target markets and values. With our mission of using beans as the base of our snacks, and upcycled/imperfect ingredients to reduce food waste, the product possibilities are endless. We plan on expanding our product offerings, and entering into new CPG spaces such as the breakfast and other snacks spaces. Through all of this, we plan on reducing over 50,000kg of food waste over the next 3 years. Learn more about the Mastercard & Pier Five Small Business Fund, and discover the other 2024 recipients here.

July Guest Picks: Kicks with Mario LoConte of ThriftCon Guest: Mario LoConte, co-founder of ThriftCon 1. KidSuper x Puma Mirage Mox Forever Blue "Colm (KidSuper) is one of my good homies and one of the most genuine and creative people in fashion right now. I’ve copped at least one pair from all of his drops with Puma, but the Mirage Mox’s have seen the most wear for me. It’s not a shoe that I thought I would have gravitated to as I typically wear more toned down sneakers but this shit goes with everything in my closet [laughs]." 2. Nike SB x Carpet Company "These were one of the coolest SBs to drop this year in my opinion. I’m a sucker for small details and they really went all out on these. There are hidden hits and details everywhere. Every piece of the shoe was calculated and really thought about." 3. Jordan 4 ‘Oreos’ 1999 "These are one of the only pairs of Jordan’s that I own and wear. I pulled them out of the Goodwill bins for $2; no heel drag or anything. I couldn’t believe it. These aren’t the originals but the retro from 1999, so they still have some history to them and the quality of the leather is unmatched." 4. Spike Lee Dunks "This is another pair that I thrifted. I got these at the flea market in Denver so I call them my ‘Spike Fleas’ [laughs, also known as the poor man’s Chicago 1s. These virtually look like 1’s aside from the fat Nike hit on the heel (which I love) and they have that good wear on them, the type of shit people are trying to recreate now for the “weathered look”. 5. Madhappy x Vans "Madhappy just dropped these and they are too clean. The icy waffle sole instead of the typical gum was a crazy swap and the small embroidered details throughout and on the tongue with the hand embroidered feel are fire. I haven’t even gotten a chance to wear them yet and don’t know if I even want to because they look so nice deadstock!" Check out all of our guest picks for July here and stay tuned to Pier Five for more stories and interviews with the coolest people around.

Events Recaps of the latest Pier Five events designed to bring creatives and entrepreneurs closer together. The Difference Maker: How Canadian Small Business Owners Turned AI Into Action Pier Five Turns Five: A Landmark End-of-Year Celebration and the Launch of Pier Five Studios The AI Studio: How Pier Five and HP Canada Empowered Canadian Small Businesses with AI Pier Five’s Mental Health Mixer: A Space to Reset, Reflect, and Connect Mental Movement Day with Pier Five and Puma Brings Toronto’s Creative Community Together for Yoga, Wellness, and Open Conversation A Spring Clean-Up Day to Remember Empowering Women Entrepreneurs: Mastercard x Pier Five's 2024/25 Priceless Experience Pier Five’s 2024 End-of-Year Celebration Celebrating Creativity and Community at the OOAK Show '24 Pier Five Community Dinner Vol. 2 - Financial Foundations