2022 Recipient: Parkerview Brews Kombucha Introducing Parkerview Brews Kombucha, one of the five recipients of the Mastercard x Pier Five Small Business Fund 2022! Who: Amy Kaban Where: Saskatoon, SK Instagram / Website In 2017, only a handful of kombucha brands were available in grocery stores. After trying all the kombucha Amy could get her hands on with little satisfaction, her natural inclination was to create her own! The goal was to brew kombucha that tasted better than existing ones - less tangy (vinegary), lightly sweetened, bubbly - and to incorporate local ingredients from Saskatchewan growers. Together with her husband, she began experimenting and created a kombucha that was better than any other brand she had tried previously. Today, Parkerview Brews Kombucha is the largest commercial kombucha brewery in Saskatchewan and can be found in 200+ stores across the province. The brand also has their own cafes and e-commerce making them a go-to destination for all things kombucha. Parkerview Brews is known for making kombucha that simply tastes great - it's sparkling, balanced in flavour and uses unique Saskatchewan ingredients like Saskatoon berries, sour cherries and chaga mushrooms. The business also supports local charities that help provide at-risk youth and families with food throughout the year. How has the Mastercard x Pier Five Small Business fund helped you? Being a recipient of the Mastercard x Pier Five Small Business Fund has been a game change for our business. The $10,000 injection has allowed us to scale and get into canning, which has been a huge goal of ours. Having the opportunity to meet other women entrepreneurs has been amazing and also to get to meet with experts in their fields, providing us with advice and motivation and connecting us with resources is just the cherry on top. "When we support other small businesses, we are supporting our local economy. When customers support me, I'm able to then put my kids into another program or course that is being run by a small business owner, which is a beautiful thing." Learn more about the Mastercard & Pier Five Small Business Fund, and discover the other 2022 recipients here .

2024 Recipient: Bruized Explore the Mastercard x Pier Five Small Business Fund Introducing Bruized, one of the ten recipients of the Mastercard x Pier Five Small Business Fund 2024! Founders: Monique Chan & Justice Walz Location: Toronto, ON Discover Bruized online: Website // Instagram About Bruized Bruized is a women-led company on a mission to fight food waste through education and sustainable snacks. They rescue surplus food and upcycle it into plant-based, gluten-free treats like their Pulp Crunch clusters and freshly baked cookies. To date, Bruized has saved over 5,642 lbs of produce, working with partners like FresHouse Juicery and Village Juicery while selling their products through local retailers and farmers' markets. They’ve secured $70,000 in grants and have been featured in outlets like the Toronto Star and Elle Gourmet, as well as speaking at events like COP15. Beyond selling snacks, Bruized aims to inspire collective action toward reducing food waste and embracing imperfect ingredients. How will the fund make an impact with your business? We’re currently stuck in the day-to-day operations of crafting and selling our products, leaving us without the capacity to focus on strategic growth or the educational and community aspects that inspired Bruized. With high demand for our sustainable snacks, our biggest challenge is breaking this cycle by growing our team to meet product demand while creating space to expand our mission. This fund will allow us to hire and train a part-time team member, increasing our production capacity and ensuring ethical pay. This additional support would help us fulfill larger orders, reduce more food waste, and dedicate more time to engaging and educating our community. What is your long term goal for the company? A long-term goal for Bruized is to expand beyond selling products by focusing on education and community-building through initiatives like ‘fulCircle,’ Toronto’s sustainability collective. This year, we hosted Supper Club events that used surplus produce, partnered with local chefs, and sparked meaningful conversations about food systems. Moving forward, we aim to partner with farmer’s markets to rescue surplus produce and create Bruized Boxes—affordable packages of fresh, local goods that prevent food waste. By fostering collaboration and education, we hope to strengthen food systems and reconnect people with the stories behind their food. Learn more about the Mastercard & Pier Five Small Business Fund, and discover the other 2024 recipients here .

Alpha/Beta: The Next Chapter With Raised by Wolves Our friends at Raised by Wolves sent us some pieces from their upcoming collection to check out. The 200 piece collection is made entirely of upcycled, reworked and repurposed garments from overstock, samples, returns and leftover fabric from a decade of past seasons, with the purpose of giving old pieces a new life. We connected with Raised by Wolves owner and mastermind behind the collection, Cal Green, to learn more about the inspiration behind Alpha/Beta, the all-natural design process and what he thinks a collection like this can mean for the future of the brand and fashion industry as a whole. Lookbook Photos: William Smith Model: Marisa Gallemit 2 Years of Planning. 10 years In The Making. One day I was in my office and saw this wall of boxes behind me. Over the last ten years we had overproduced certain collections, had accumulated a ton of samples, held onto returned items or defects, etc. When COVID hit, most of our factories shut down so we knew we needed to find a way to make do with what we had and find a way to sell all of these older clothes by repurposing them. The first project was making face masks in Ottawa and that's what sparked the idea to create a full collection which would become Alpha/Beta. Where does the name Alpha/Beta come from? The name is in reference to the hierarchy of a wolf pack. The Alpha line gets access to the most interesting materials and older samples. It's more experimental and is a lot of outerwear and pants. The Beta line is made up of derivatives from the Alpha line and are more simplified. This will be things like tees and sweatshirts. We've also built out a Delta line which is some homewares and other accessories made from scraps, like keychains, coasters, wooden and incense holders. With this new thought process behind production and design, how is Raised by Wolves thinking about its ecological footprint? I'm hypersensitive to overproduction now. It definitely won't be an afterthought anymore. I think with this, Alpha/Beta will evolve over time. With this collection, we've produced maybe 200 pieces but that's just scratching the surface of the inventory we had. I ended up donating about forty-thousand dollars worth of clothing to local youth organizations in Ottawa. I figured it was better to give the product to someone that will value it than get rid of it another way or destroy it, which was never an option. Created by hand around North America The majority of the pieces in the collection were all reworked by hand and treated with natural techniques to give unique looks to each garment. Black bean dye Beach dye Rust dye Flame finishing on demin Hand-stitched sashiko Apparel by : @atelier_dnhn (Montreal, Quebec) Quilts by : @e_patton (Dayton, Ohio) How will this collection play into the future of Raised by Wolves? I've thought about doing something like Patagonia's Worn Wear program that encourages people to send their gear back when they're done with it and then we repurpose it for Alpha/Beta. It doesn't even have to be Raised by Wolves product. It could be vintage denim or band tees. Ever since I've started working on this project, I've seen a lot of brands that I really respect doing similar programs. So, I definitely think we're headed in the right direction, for sure. Big shoutout to Raised by Wolves for giving us an early look at the new collection! Check out the Pier Five Instagram for more content on some of the incredible pieces. Make sure to keep up with Raised by Wolves on Instagram for more information on the Alpha/Beta collection dropping this month and keep it locked to Pier Five for more conversations with the coolest entrepreneurs, designers, artists, activists and more out there.

A Conversation With Titi Finlay Titi Finlay is a Scottish creator and artist residing in London, UK and currently holds the position of Social Media Manager at LacedHQ, the UK's top resale sneaker platform. Titi has built a following through her artwork, impressive sneaker collection and advocacy for women's empowerment in the sneaker and fashion industry. @ttfinaly You received a lot of recognition recently for a quote “ We don’t need women's exclusives. We need inclusive sizing .” and we couldn’t agree more that the sneaker world definitely has some catching up to do when it comes to inclusivity. Besides inclusive sizing, what are five things you think brands could do to make footwear more inclusive for everyone? Make everything unisex. Get rid of women's exclusives. The brands right now are giving women different (often times worse) shoes but we want the same shoes the men do. There's no need to keep styles separate. Innovate with sneaker models. Shoes like the new Nike Fly Ease Go which is a "hands free" shoe make cool sneakers more accessible for people with disabilities. I'm curious to see how they develop styles around that to give everyone a cool shoe. Storytelling should be diverse. We're always seeing the same women or men in campaigns. It's always a celebrity or popular hypebeast but what about the mum in Manchester with a huge Airmax collection? Increase representation of African Americans in sneaker media. There's no denying that most of this culture comes from black culture and it should be represented as such. Reconsider how you run gifting programs. Similar to point 3, it's always the same celebrities receiving pairs from brands. I understand the influence big celebs have but brands should also seed to the creators and collectors actually into the products. Bonus thought : Overall there's too much gatekeeping from brands but also the community as a whole, telling young people they can't be into Jordans because they didn't see him play or telling skaters they can't rock SB's. None of that matters. If you like the shoes, that's what matters! We definitely need to talk about your “Power to the Female” AM90 which was so purposeful and amazing! What were five things you wanted to achieve with this collaboration or get out of the experience? I wanted to make a shoe for the female sneaker community to celebrate and enhance the conversation around the topic of women in sneakers. I wanted to give other women a platform with the promotion of this shoe. I was lucky enough to be able to collaborate with a lot of my friends and women in the space on some content which I think really helped grow the conversation. I wanted to make it unisex that anyone could wear. I used the slogan "By women. For everyone" to sum that up and I think it worked well. I wanted to show people that it wasn't only the big influencers that can create. Hopefully this inspired young up and comers to keep working and show them that anything can happen. Lastly, this [sneaker design] was a new discipline for me and it was awesome to get my hands dirty and really learn the ins-and-outs of the process. What are some things you love or dislike about the UK sneaker scene? LOVE : The Community - I've made so many friends through social sneaker groups in the UK. There's something called Pickup Days where the raffle winners go get their shoes from OffSpring and it's such a fun time meeting everyone, before COVID that was. LOVE : Sneaker culture really blossomed in the UK so there's a ton of history. For example, it's all Adidas in the North of England but if you go to London everyone loves Air Max's. LOVE : Lots of small pockets in the UK that you wouldn't expect actually have a dope sneaker scene. Glasgow has Sneaker Laundry, Edinburgh has some wicked skate shops and Dundee has a great sneaker hangout spot even though it's a small town. DISLIKE : This one isn't so UK exclusive but there is a lot of gatekeeping in the space. We need to be more open and not let the history or the "OG's" keep people out. You’ve done a great job building the LacedHQ brand on social and helped foster a strong sense of community with the #lacedcommunity. As the Social Media Manager for LacedHQ, what are five tips you can give to a brand or individual trying to build up their community on social? Create content that people can own themselves. For example, my quotes are content that resonate with others and that they can share on their own stories and feeds. Have a solidified POV. Have personality and stay true to and support your opinions throughout. Create something that can be engaged with. Posting polls for people to vote on is fun and builds engagement. Give a platform to other creatives and showcase their work. The LacedHQ feed is fully on regrams and it's a great way to build relationships and get intro'd to new creators. Data is everything. Use your insights to see how your content is performing. Bonus thought : Don't forget to pay attention to the aesthetic of the full feed and not just the individual posts. Being an advocate for inclusivity in the sneaker industry, who would you say are 5 other people that are really paving the way for change within within the sneaker community/industry? Liz Beecroft - Pier Five Alum!! She does an amazing job blending mental health with sneakers and streetwear. ( READ PIER FIVE <> LIZ BEECROFT INTERVIEW ) The Air Vegan - He's a co-creator of the Business of Hype podcast and also runs a platform called FutureVVorld which shares information about how the sneaker industry can be more sustainable and more earth friendly. _womeninsneakers - Steph who leads the page works for ON Running and on her page showcases everyone from female influencers to designers at the brands that are doing awesome things in sneakers. Coco Mell - She used to work at ASOS and is now a freelance stylist for sneaker brands. She is really campaigning for black women in the sneaker culture and has been doing clubhouse chats with women in the industry (ex. Jazzy Ray - OG in sneakers) Arielle (A_ebz) - She's a colour designer for Nike in Portland and has worked on making colourways more inclusive and pushing against women's exclusives and men's exclusives. Lastly, we need to speak about your puppy! How has having a dog changed your perspective on life? It's been amazing, like having a therapy dog full time! Maple has really helped with my anxiety throughout COVID. It helps me take my mind off of things and relax. Having a dog helps maintain a routine. Things like needing to go for 2 walks a day really force you to wake up and start your day. I try to look through her eyes and see how simple life can be. It's a great way to stay calm and level out. I think I've become smarter and more productive thinking about how I use my time for myself and with Maple.

A Conversation with Jarah Stoop of Peterson Stoop Jarah Stoop is one half of the duo behind Peterson Stoop, a sneaker repair studio in Amsterdam, Netherlands launched to reduce the amount of waste created in the sneaker industry and to bring new design flavour to footwear. P+S applies traditional leather shoe repair techniques to classic sneaker models and has built a global following. They have collaborated with brands like Timberland and Staple Design and sell limited runs of their footwear in stores such as Wagamama (Tokyo) and Selfridges (UK). @petersonstoop You’ve just released the designs for your AW 21 collection (congratulations). What were some goals you had going into this season for Peterson+Stoop? Thank you! We’re really excited about this collection. As always, and continuing with this collection, we really try to reduce the use of virgin materials as much as possible. Every time we cut into a new material we think “is this worth it and is it needed?” We tried to cut new patterns that would create as little waste as possible. We tried experimenting with new dynamic designs on the outsole which I think turned out really well. We wanted to add new silhouettes that were more suitable for people’s lifestyles being at home so much more. We did this with our patchwork mule slipper made from old shoe materials. We’re also excited to work with new retailers for this collection. It helps us try new things and reach new audiences. Every aspect of Peterson+Stoop, from the natural materials and water-based glues to the recycled men’s shirt dust bags is designed to reduce the environmental footprint (no pun intended) of footwear on the planet. Why has this been so important for the two of you as you continue to develop the brand? When we graduated in 2008 we were thinking about whether or not we should go work for a brand or start our own. I am a spiritual person and need a true purpose in life. I am very analytical and if I was going to start something new it would need to make sense. Joining a brand and “designing for landfills” didn’t make sense to us and wouldn’t excite me to get out of bed in the morning. We started looking at common products and noticed that most things were not made for repair. The Air Max 97, a shoe I love, can’t be repaired. Once that air bubble pops, it’s over. We realized this was our purpose; bring repair to the world. Brands should promote repair, but they don’t, so we wanted to make repair accessible. It’s better for the planet, looks cool and can become more beautiful over time and overall, it’s just the right thing to do. Peterson+Stoop has done some really impressive collaborative projects including the “Wavy Pigeon” with Jeff Staple and Construct10061 with Timberland. Who are some other designers or brands that you would love to collaborate with in the future and what might you work on together? This is a tough question. If we could work with a brand on a long term repair initiative that would be great. Nothing hype but real change with a brand would be something we might do. If you could see anyone wearing your shoes, who would it be? Definitely our king; Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands. He’s worn sneakers and I think that would be awesome [laughs]. With each pair, Peterson+Stoop is changing the way that we think about the lifespan of the things we own. Besides sneakers, what are other ideas/items people can upcycle in their daily lives? This question is tricky because everyone’s life is different. I think “Design for Repair '' should be a course in school so that people become accustomed to thinking about repair and upcycling. If we train the mind to get creative with repair, we will reduce a lot of waste with everything. I often think about this with food. There’s a lot of waste with food. I try to think about the scraps and try to find ways to reuse them. All clothing as well can be repaired or designed to have new purposes and it can be a lot of fun. You guys have crossed paths, got to know each other & shared a studio space before becoming partners of Peterson+Stoop. Now as full-time partners, what are 5 tips you’d give to new business partners looking to run a business? Hmm. Don’t do it [laughs]. I’m joking but being in a partnership is very hard and truthfully it’s easier to get a job. That being said, if you’re stubborn and motivated you can make it work. A partnership should have people with diversified skill sets. Make sure there is someone who knows design, someone who knows the business side, etc. Be open minded and willing to learn about other people and their opinions. Communication is very important. Talk through everything, when you agree and when you disagree. Remove your egos from the company and the partnership. You have to always think about what is best for the company and not what is best for you. Don’t be afraid to take risks!

A Conversation With Jon Elias of Lost & Found Jon Elias is the Co-Founder & Co-Owner of Lost & Found, one of Toronto's best menswear stores. Jon has an experienced eye for the best menswear brands around the world from international hotspots Japan, Australia, London & Paris. When he's not running the shop, Jon is also an avid collector of art and is known to hit a nice jumper on the basketball court. @jhoo04 / @shoplostfound There's always a great influx of new brands in the shop. What are 5 of your favourite right now? Engineered Garments, The Real McCoy's, Lady White, Norse Projects and Alden. I mean I could replace those with 5 other brands. Honestly, all the brands we carry in the shop are important to me if they weren't we wouldn't carry them. Music plays an important role in setting the atmosphere of the shop. Who are 5 artists we might hear in L&F? Haha. You are asking the wrong person. I've lost all control over the music. But if I had a choice, right now I would say Madvillian, The Frightnrs, Freddie Gibbs and Madlib, Frank Ocean and Kanye. Again, this will change but these have been in heavy rotation for me. Styles are always changing. What are 5 trends you've been seeing in FW20 that you're into? I don't really know trends as we kind of avoid them at the shop but here are some highlights for me right now. The colour purple, toques by Norse [Projects], PAA and Homespun have some great sweaters, pants by engineered garments this season are amazing and I'm all about the Viberg boots lately. As for trends, if you follow those you're bound to make mistakes. Tried and true. COVID has taken us all for a ride. What are your 5 tips to survive these trying times? Keeping a positive attitude is the number one thing! Exercise Eat healthy Take supplements When you can, hug someone you love <3 Top 5 pieces in your rotation? I can rattle this off with my eyes closed. McCoy's cardigan hoodie Engineered Garments painter's pants Nike Air Max 90s Gitman's [Vintage] Camp Shirt Any graphic tee I can get my hands on Lastly, How are you feeling about retail in general these days? This is tough. I think the retail realm is always interesting. From brands, to fabrics to stores. Curation is what really gets me. I'm always impressed with stores who have a different interpretation of a brand. I mean retail is really at a cross roads right now in terms of how they operate. Online has been a huge piece of our operation but we love the in store experience and don't want that to change regardless of the changing climate.

2024 Recipient: The Magpie Cakery Explore the Mastercard x Pier Five Small Business Fund Introducing The Magpie Cakery, one of the ten recipients of the Mastercard x Pier Five Small Business Fund 2024! Founders: Libby Brewer-Dulac & Maggie Frith Location: Toronto, ON Discover Mess Hall online: Website // Instagram About The Magpie Cakery The Magpie Cakery is a commercial kitchen space and hub for culinary professionals, built with the goal of empowering emerging entrepreneurs in the food space to launch and grow their own businesses. The Magpie Cakery residents gain access to a vibrant community, a storefront for customer interaction, and resources that act as a launchpad for success. Since early 2023, The Magpie Cakery has welcomed 24 small food businesses, with residents achieving milestones like securing wholesale clients and growing revenue. With big plans for the future, including an expansion of their space and a new business education program, the Magpie Cakery will look to increase the potential of its offerings for residents to help them thrive and achieve long-term success. How will the fund make an impact with your business? The mentorship from Mastercard, combined with Pier Five’s support, will be instrumental in ensuring our initiatives drive measurable success. We plan to use the $10,000 CAD grant to fund kitchen renovations and equipment, develop a business education program, grow outreach efforts to support women-led food startups, and offset increased operating costs. Expanding our kitchen space will double our capacity for residency clients, prioritizing bakers and women entrepreneurs. With these enhancements, we can provide immediate benefits and long-term growth opportunities for our residents. What is your long term goal for the company? Within the next 3-5 years, our goal is to support the launch of 10 new women-led food businesses annually through our residency program, with some residents staying for extended six-month terms to hone their craft. We plan to fully optimize our current space and pursue partnerships with George Brown College and other local culinary and community organizations to reach more early-stage women entrepreneurs. Additionally, we aim to host baking workshops and events that showcase our resident bakers, foster community connections, and provide local residents with opportunities to learn new skills and celebrate the art of baking. Learn more about the Mastercard & Pier Five Small Business Fund, and discover the other 2024 recipients here .

Creating Your Identity With Jun Arnaiz of Neutria Creating Your Identity With Jun Arnaiz of Neutria It's not uncommon to find creatives venturing out into their own startups but it is a bit more unique to see them dive into the realm of health and natural supplements, a space that is highly competitive with mass-pharma and can take years of R&D and approval. So, what does it take to dive into this world? We sat down with Jun Arnaiz, a longtime friend and man of many talents, to learn a little bit about it. Jun got his start in the Toronto-nightlife scene, rising up as one of the city's best club videographers by night, while experimenting, formulating and testing supplements by day. As he got deeper into the nightlife world, his sights set onto DJ'ing, which has now grown his name even further as a certified nightlife double threat; but he didn't forget about the pharma. In 2023, Jun and his business partner Andrew Daye launched Neutria, an all-natural supplement brand rooted in ancient herbs and remedies to help those eager to excel do so in a clean and sustainable way. Jun has a lot to say about breaking down barriers to follow your passions. Read through the conversation below! Jun, you seem to have your hand in so many pots and never shy away from opportunities. How does someone like yourself approach all of these new things? Naturally, I'm a very curious person and I have a bunch of interests but I'm very careful to ensure if I do something, it's of quality. It can be daunting but anytime I'm exploring a new craft, I know it will require me to put myself out there no matter what because that's how you get new opportunities. It requires you to be vulnerable but it's necessary. Especially for artistic crafts, showing your work is the only way to get booked. If we reverse engineer that to figure out how to build the confidence to put yourself out there, it really comes down to putting in the reps. You have to practice. Once you really commit and practice, you build the competence in the craft and then you build the confidence. That confidence will be the fuel to put yourself out there in the world and that's when opportunities will come to you. Do you ever feel stuck diving into new things? Luckily not so much but it took time. I think the number one thing that stops people from taking on a new craft is imposter syndrome. People think "I'm not this person, so I'm not going to give it my 100%." I realized that the antidote to that is building up enough evidence for yourself that you do embody this person to the point where it can become your identity. For me, it was hard as a nightlife videographer, who's identity was so ingrained in that, when I wanted to start DJ'ing. I knew people might not take me seriously but I was serious. I didn't want to be a videographer that could also DJ. I wanted to be a DJ. In order to do that, I needed to be consistent. I needed to show up every day. I needed to do shows consistently. I try to embody this mindset with every new thing that I do. It wasn't even up until maybe a couple of months ago that I finally was confident enough to call myself a DJ because I felt like I wasn't there yet. I didn't have that identity yet but I was always pushing for it. Just remember, success isn't an overnight thing. You have to work on it every day but the only way to get there is to start. Can you talk about what pushed you to start Neutria? I worked in a pharmacy for five plus years, so I saw firsthand how people are so reliant on pharmaceuticals just to get by. We're at an age, societally, where people are becoming more health conscious. My partner, Andrew, and I have always been obsessed with finding ways to optimize our health, wellbeing and mindset. We were always experimenting with these different ingredients in college and university. So we've been exposed to the world of natural supplements and natural remedies. We never really had the intention when we were in our early twenties of doing this. It was just a passion to help us optimize our businesses at that time but we sensed this paradigm shift of people who want to excel in their careers or their crafts and find remedies to do so without harming themselves in the process by using synthetic drugs, like Adderall, or excessive melatonin or caffeine. So, we started Neutria and all three of our products are a response to a synthetic version. We have an all-natural sleep support product that uses herbs that have been used for thousands of years, melatonin-free and that's kind of like our counter to melatonin. We have a focus blend that's our counter to excessive caffeine or Adderall. We're not doing this to profit off of people. We're doing this to offer a sustainable solution to these specific needs that we saw. Lastly, what is one of the biggest learnings you've discovered so far as a brand owner? As an e-commerce brand, it's easy to dehumanize the business and diminish it to just numbers and digital screens. For the first half of our existence, Andrew and I lived on our screens and we weren't getting any sort of physical feedback from customers. It was all online-everything. So, one thing that we introduced was more events and collaborations with other brands to get out into the physical world and connect with and build our community. We started selling in local markets, sampling with groups and getting actual feedback on our products. The human connection was also important to help remind us of our purpose and why we started the business, which was very motivating. We really learned the importance of th at macro view on why you do things and I think going physical, going offline as much as possible does that. Make sure to check out Jun and Neutria on Instagram and keep it locked to Pier Five for more conversations with creatives and entrepreneurs just like this!

June Guest Picks: Home with Jon Elias Guest: Jon Elias of Lost & Found 1. Choemon Cups "Hand painted Skateboarder and Boombox on Japanese tea cups. Need I say more?" 2. Ratio Eight Pour Over Coffee Machine "I've been pretty obsessed with this coffee machine for the past year or os. Hand blown glass, no plastic and every single one is hand made in Portland." 3. James Jarvis Teapot "I grabbed this last year and literally leave it out as a display piece. Haven't made tea in it yet...It's just so amazing to look at [laughs]." 4. Javier Calleja "No Art Here" + Haroshi "I've been pretty obsessed with Javier Calleja and Haroshi's work of late. Javier Calleja just released a set of Toys about two months ago through the Nanzuka art gallery called No Art Here and Haroshi will be dropping two marble pieces in June that are incredible." 5. AALTO Copper Vase "This was all my mom. I saw it at her house and wanted to add it to our collection at home. Part of a limited series done by Aalto." Check out all of our guest picks for June here and stay tuned to Pier Five for more stories and interviews with the coolest people around.

Getting To Know Hotpot Variety Amongst all of the creative businesses that launched during Covid, one of our favourites has to be Hotpot Variety founded by Toronto crocheter Jess Papp. What started as a fun hobby has since turned into a full time brand that has caught the attention of fashion enthusiasts, influencers, designers and retailer buyers around the country. As she takes the headwear game by storm with her unique crocheted hats, we caught up with Jess to chat about her recent growth, taking Hotpot Variety full time, getting into a major retailer, where she hopes to take the brand over the years and much more. Take a listen to some of Jess' quotes and read through below to learn more about Jess and Hotpot Variety. On taking Hotpot full time… "As of this fall, I’m officially doing this full time. When I started Hotpot Variety, I realized that was my passion. I was like, maybe I should focus my energy and efforts into something I love doing instead of working in a 9 to 5 job and coming out of it like “what did I just do all day?” Put Your Work Out There You never know what might come of it! So Holts DM’d you? That’s how the deal came around? Ya, I got a message from the buyer like “hey, who do I reach out to about partnership options?”. I only had 500 followers on Instagram and not a lot of my work was on my feed so I thought maybe they’re just contacting me about a pop-up or something. We had the call and they’re like, “do you have a line sheet? We want to stock your hats in our store.” and I’m like “Ya, I have a line sheet” while I’m googling what a line sheet is [laughs] and then they sent over my contract and my hats were going to be stocked in Holt Renfrew. It was crazy. On collaborations… I’m doing this by myself so I’m trying to make sure I’m not saying yes too much or biting off more than I can chew. Every project is different. It’s important to make sure that you understand what the scope of the partnership looks like and make sure you’re both aligned into something that’s going to be great for both sides. On dealing with burnout… Make sure that you’re listening to your body. If I’m tired, I need to sleep. If I’m hungry, I eat. If you can’t focus, you can’t be productive. Don’t stress about the things you can’t control and focus on one thing at a time. What do you want 60 year old Jessica to look back on and be proud of? I'm a first generation Canadian. My mom immigrated here from Vietnam. My family fled from their country to build something for us and give us more opportunity. I want to look back when I’m 60 and know that I built something out of an opportunity that my family has given me and be something inspiring to people going through the same thing and hopefully building some sort of an empire where I can support other people’s interests and talents. Checkout Hotpot Variety's Instagram for news on their upcoming releases and keep it locked to Pier Five for more conversations with the coolest entrepreneurs, designers, artists, activists and more out there.

Doing It Yourself With Glory Allan The path towards starting something new can be a daunting one and it's easy to be held back by the sheer number of different directions to go in, even without having taken that first step. But that first step - that's the most critical piece of the puzzle. For Toronto based, DIY fashion content creator Andre Chin aka Glory Allan, he has become comfortable with being uncomfortable taking that first step and it has taken him to incredible heights. With hundreds of thousands of followers tuning in for his do-it-yourself sewing and garment making tutorials, many of whom start with his pre-made garment kits, or eagerly waiting to cop his ready-to-wear namesake brand, Glory Allan has started to develop some incredible experience and we were excited to get the chance to stop by his studio space to chat with him about it all. Check out the conversation below! Hey Andre, great to link up! What have you been up to these days? Hey guys! Lots of stuff. I've been working on a bunch of new videos, including a new thrift concept that isn't my typical style but I'm excited and nervous for it. I'm also working on getting the cargo pants DIY content together. That'll be a big one. I've done parts of cargos like the pockets but the full pants video has been a lot of work to get together. Nice! We'll definitely talk about the cargos and DIY but tell us about the thrift video and that new style. It's basically me getting out to thrift stores and picking pieces I like. I haven't done much filming outside of my studio space so filming in public like that was super awkward but I think it'll turn out well. What pushed you to try this new video style? I think it's important for showing my growth and keeping things interesting for my audience. I think that's super important, especially for early YouTubers. You can't be afraid to put yourself out there. For this video I filmed on Friday, I watched the footage and it feels so cringe but I know I have to use the footage and I know I'll keep getting better. You need that mentality as a YouTuber. Maybe nobody watches it but maybe they do and you can get feedback and just keep working on it from that. You've grown quite the audience now on YouTube. What do you think the trick to that was? A few things! The first is that for my DIY videos, I've focused on a lot of non-trendy videos so that they stay relevant longer. I've also created content in a way that there's something for everyone at every skill level. So, I have basic tutorials like the bucket hats or bandanas that people can join in on when they're starting out and then I have the more complex tutorials like cargo pants. I have to think about what level my audience might be at when they're discovering me which is probably on the beginner side. So, I can't start them with cargo pants, I need to guide them through and have content for them every step of the way as they develop. From a reach stand point, I've also used TikTok well to drive people to my YouTube. The ability to go viral is so much higher on TikTok and then a lot of people will go from my TikTok videos to my longer form content on YouTube. Besides racking up views on your videos, you're also selling DIY kits and your own line of products. How does your content strategy as a creator play into selling those? The content strategy is super important. You can have the best products in the world but if you don't have a good content strategy to build the traffic and excitement, nobody will buy your products. The content is likely what people will interact with before your actual products, whether it's getting someone to buy something online or even drive someone into a store, so that first impression is everything. At the same time though, content can only get you so far. It's a funny thing you have to balance. If you spend too much time on the content but neglect the product and developing something people actually want, then you're on the opposite side of that spectrum which isn't good. Well, it seems like you've started to figure out that balance. Now that you're building quite the audience and moving a lot of sales volume, how does it feel? It's amazing, but honestly, I get hit with imposter syndrome so much because I don't have any formal sewing background or training with a camera or anything like that. How do you deal with the imposter syndrome? I try not to take it too seriously. I know it's always going to be there but I feel like everyone is a bit of an imposter. I just try to be grateful for where I am and if I have a hundred thousand people following me, I'm obviously doing something right. You're definitely doing something right! Before we let you go, do you have any advice to people just starting to develop their own creative business? Make sure you have a long term vision. Even if you're starting to see success now, with whatever you're working on, think about how it's going to make you money in ten years and if it will be able to still stand out in ten years. I know it sounds crazy and so far along but if you can think about ways you'll build more revenue streams and stay unique, that will be how you become very successful and always continue to grow. Love that! If you're looking to learn how to sew your own garments, make sure to check out Glory Allan on Instagram and Youtube and keep it locked to Pier Five for more conversations with emerging creatives!

A Conversation With Keith Pears Keith Pears is a force to be reckoned with in the kitchen. He has been in the food business for over 20 years, racking up an impressive resume as winner of Canada's Great Kitchen Party, Executive Chef for Delta Hotels, Toronto and most recently taking on the new role of Executive Chef at the W Toronto (Opening 2021). @keith_pears Your feed is filled with delicious looking meat! What is your 5-step guide to cooking the perfect steak? Let the steak sit at room temp for 10-20 minutes. A cold steak will cook unevenly. Use a cast iron pan to retain the most heat possible and get a meat caramelization (maillard) effect. Cook 6-7 minutes med-high each side (time will vary depending on thickness of steak) Baste your steak with garlic, herbs, shallots, and melted butter during the last 2 minutes. Even after you take it off the heat, it's still cooking. Let your steak rest for 10 minutes to capture the juices. What are 5 ingredients everyone needs in their kitchen? Fish sauce - for salt & umami Finishing vinegars Lemon Flaky sea salt Onions - one of the most diverse ingredients A great stock - you can make your own with cheap bones Who are you listening to in the kitchen? I've been listening to a lot of Toronto artists. Drake, [Justin] Bieber and Anders. I've also been playing a lot of Bryson Tiller and then a lot Spotify R&B mixes. We love to see a chef who's into sneakers. What are your top 5 in the rotation? Jordan 4 'Oreo' Nike Air Max 97 'Olympic Red' Nike Blazer Low 'Peach' Nike Flyknit Racers Clogs! I have a casual pair and a Gucci pair for special occasions Finally, a lot has changed since COVID took over. How do you think dining could change after it's over? I think food will have to get simpler - fewer touches in the kitchen and less sharing style cuisine. It's sad but I think tapas is going to fade. I also think drive-in dining is going to make a big comeback like back in the day where they're bring burgers to your window in the parking lot. Patio season will have to start to be year round but I'm not sure how yet. Lastly, food apps and ghost kitchens are going to keep popping up and becoming more popular. Low-lift, low personal contact and quick service.