July Guest Picks: Books with Jay Yoo of Bolstr Guest: Jay Yoo, founder of Bolstr AntiFragile by Nicholas Taleb Nassim "Counterintuitive insights on the nature of all things. Why nature is our greatest teacher of evolution? It gains from chaos. Humans don't work like that as we accept comfortable positions in life (taking advice from expert "Fragilistas" that make us fragile (although it may not appear that way). Like your doctor, who is the third leading cause of death in America. Ideas on preparing forward by building optionality into your life (dismissing expert news) allow us to benefit from inevitable "black swan" events that are unpredictable and catastrophic to most." Who Owns the Future by Jaron Lenier "All about rebuilding the middle class by humanizing the digital economy. A critical and credible take on creating commerce for all vs. redistributing wealth. The book was written in 2011, and much of what Jaron predicted is coming true. Specifically, how a free digital economy is destroying jobs as new centers of power (Google, Facebook, Snapchat, et al.) make money on our use of their ecosystems and are socially engineering us to stay in them. But what makes their systems valuable does not get an equitable stake (you and me). He lays it all out on how to get paid for making any content (as long as others are viewing it). It's entirely possible with the blockchain, which makes crypto ever more relevant. Importantly, the idea that our world can be automated via tech is a farse; without human influence, it will have no soul. Sorry, Ray Kurzweill and the whole singularity movement. No thanks." A Short History of Progress by Richard Wright "Where are we going? This is the central theme of the book. It's an incredibly illuminating book on impending doom and how man destroys everything. He goes through the history of humans from prehistoric times until the present and how we have destroyed the planet and the lives of millions (approaching billions), all in the pursuit of progress. He examines several civilizations from Neanderthals, Easter Island (an important microcosm), Sumerians, Romans, and Egyptians. Each crippled their existence by overproducing, exhausting resources, and then waging war to expand and gain more. There are no everlasting examples of civilizations, and they all fall victim to their progress. It took 3 million years to go from a stone arrowhead to smelted iron, but only 3,000 years to go from smelt to a nuclear bomb. Where are we going?" Big Bang by Simon Singh "The Origins of The Universe. One of my favorite books that walks through the history of science. I love learning about the cosmos and space but am more interested in how humans figured it out. It's a fascinating account of science's struggle to overcome dogma and human's persistence for truth. But, as important, are the pitfalls of incumbency (egos that stifled scientific progress), to which Einstein both abhorred and fell victim. Incredibly interesting and great for anyone who would like to know the Big Bang theory in layman's terms." 12 Rules for Life by Jordan Peterson "Life is a bitch. Historical, spiritual, and personal antidotes for leading a life of purpose and ultimate happiness. It's more than a self-help book; it's a serious eye-opener on building a relationship with oneself, others, and the world in times of immediate gratification. Fun is fleeting, and joy is work; I welcome this confrontation with what more I can do to be and influence "good."" 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.

Pier Five’s 2023 Food Drive: Supporting Community and Fighting Food Insecurity This holiday season, Pier Five partnered with local business Lost & Found in Toronto to launch a community food drive, addressing the pressing issue of food insecurity. With the collective efforts of both communities, the drive successfully gathered hundreds of food items, filling14 shipping boxes of food and raised $170, all of which were donated to the Daily Bread Food Bank in December 2023. This initiative is a testament to Pier Five’s commitment to building a strong community of entrepreneurs and small business owners while making a positive impact on those in need. We want to thank everyone that donated to the drive, shared our campaign and helped raise awareness for such an important cause. See you in 2024 to do it all again!

Writing History With Sam Le Roy of Hartcopy Holding on to the past isn't always a good thing, but in the case of Sam Le Roy and Hartcopy, it couldn't be cooler! As one of Instagram's best new(ish) sneaker pages, storytelling around the coolest pairs of new and old sneakers from around the world, Hartcopy has taken the world by storm with its ethos of embracing traditional print for the digital consumer. We got the chance to speak with Hartcopy's Creative Lead, Sam Le Roy, about what got him involved in "The New Print", where he thinks sneaker culture is going, what it's like diving head first into new creative projects and the importance of confidence to get yourself into your dream position. Read and listen below for the convesation! Getting Started. Hey Sam! Thanks so much for chatting with us. To kick things off, can you tell us how you got involved with Tim and Hartcopy? So before I got started with Hartcopy I was writing for another publication call Sabukaru - great read by the way. I found Hartcopy pretty early on when it launched and then I saw Tim post on Facebook that he had started the page. I sent him a message like "Hey I'm a writer. Can we work on this together?" I wasn't expecting money or anything. Luckily Tim saw my message and I think because of my experiences at Sabukaru, he gave me a shot. This was around March or April of 2020. Damn, just like that? All about shooting your shot! My entire creative journey is all from sending that DM. All opportunities that I've had have been because if sent that message to the right person. I just found a lot of people online and now I can call them friends. Definitely don't be afraid to shoot your shot! (Listen to more below) The Execution. Hartcopy has published nearly 1,400 posts now in not that much time. Firstly, how do you choose what to write about? The biggest thing for Hartcopy is looking into the past and telling the stories of older pairs and silhouettes. A lot of people really fell in love with Hartcopy from our coverage of older grail pairs, older dunks and Jordan sneakers but we really just cover whatever we think is cool. It's really an extension of our own tastes so as long as we think it's cool then we'll post about it. Second question. How do you find the time to do all of this AND pursue a full time career? Luckily, we have a pretty good formula now for creating the content so it doesn't take that long. What is starting to take a lot of time is all of the other partnerships and projects that we are starting to do. I actually just gave my notice this week and will be doing Hartcopy full time now, which is really exciting! Oh wow! What was the thought process like behind that decision? I think it was inevitable at some point for this to happen. I have so many plans for Hartcopy in the future but they would never become a reality if I didn't take the jump now and try it. I had a moment at the Foot Patrol event where I knew that not capitalizing on this would be a massive waste. (Listen to more below) The First Book Signing. Just recently Hartcopy launched its first ever physical print sneaker book with a killer launch event at Foot Patrol in London. What was that like getting to connect with people over Hartcopy in person after being a digital first platform since the beginning? Seeing that many people come together for a product that we made was incredible. It was an amazing feeling and I definitely want to see that again. There's something really charming about bringing people together for a physical product. We've gone through so many followers and likes on Instagram but I can't visualize that. Meeting people in person creates a feeling that I really can't describe. (Photos: Foot Patrol) What's Next? I'm planning books two, three, four and five. Book two is going to be more focused around people than product, but obviously still connected to products. Book three I can't speak about it yet because it's going to be completely out of nowhere [laughs] and I wan't it to be a surprise. Looking forward, now that I'm full time, I want to also be doing things like merchandise like clothing releases in addition to the book releases. I really want to have people getting Hartcopy in hand and a big focus for me is to keep it affordable. We have a lot of things in the works as well that I can't speak about yet but just know we're going to be very busy! And lastly... a reminder from Sam to wear your shoes! Make sure to keep up with Sam and Hartcopy on Instagram for all the best sneaker content and news on their upcoming projects and keep it locked to Pier Five for more conversations with the coolest entrepreneurs, designers, artists, activists and more out there.

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

A Conversation With Cereal Artist Cereal Artist has made a name for herself with her impressive sneaker and streetwear inspired sculptures. Coming off of strong collaborations with Footlocker and the mecca of footwear brands, Nike, Cereal Artist is taking the design scene by storm and crafting some of the coolest, functional, pieces for the streets. @cerealartist As someone who has turned DIY into a career, what are 5 do's or don'ts when starting to "do-it-yourself"? Definitely start things off easy depending on your technical skills, whether its a simple silhouette or even just sewing straight lines until they're perfected. Don't copy others. Practice a lot and find different ways to make things work until you develop your own flair. Nobody gets it perfect on the first go so don't stress the errors too much. Don't spend too much money up front. Don't think too far ahead. Focus on your current progress and have fun! We love the sneaker-made bags and hats. What are 5 other garments you'd like to make out of sneakers next? It's not 5 but I've got 4 key categories I'm going to be working on. Clothing pieces Definitely some other accessories Wall art Art decor There's a lot to choose from but can you rank your top 5 creations you've ever made? Mc'Nike Set Jelly Dunk Shoe Bag Shoe Hat NikebyYou With all the creativity going around Instagram these days, who are 5 other DIY artists that you're into? @kevinconcepts @hoopfr3sh @miniswoosh @gunuw228 @danielarsham And last but not least, you've spoken out about the importance of mental health. With such a busy career, what are 5 steps you take to maintaining good mental health? Make sure to take time to rest. A good break is important! More work isn't always better. Don't force yourself to take jobs that don't feel right. Connect and socialize with other likeminded creators. Don't consume too much social media. Don't worry about others. Do things at your own pace.

2023 Recipient: Spice Girl Chai Introducing Spice Girl Chai, one of the ten recipients of the Mastercard x Pier Five Small Business Fund 2023! Who: Rebecca Pereira Where: Toronto, ON Instagram / Website After noticing that commercially available chai products lacked the depth of flavour and overall spice that she was looking for, Rebecca Pereira worked with her mother to create their own Chai concentrate in-house. With the recipe’s success, Rebecca launched Spice Girl Chai in 2021, and has landed her Chai concentrate into over a dozen restaurants and retailers in Toronto, numerous high-volume trade shows and in the hands of over 100,000 customers. The brand, rooted in Rebecca’s culture and Indian traditions, has seen major success through specialty collaborations and samplings. She makes enjoying authentic chai at home as easy as brewing a cup of coffee. How will you use the $10,000 CAD for your business? One of the biggest challenges is keeping up with demand from existing and new retail and restaurant partners interested in bulk orders. With all of our product created at a shared commercial kitchen, we are limited in the volume that we can produce. The $10,000 will help us work with a co-packer facility to produce ten times the volume that we can daily. This will allow us to quickly expand our distribution, exponentially increase revenue and give me time to focus on other parts of the business like marketing and sales that have taken a back seat. What is your big goal for the future of the business? My long-term dream is to establish our very own facility for producing our Chai Concentrate and upcoming canned Chai drinks. We have significant revenue projections to hit in the next five years that would allow us to open this facility and build a team of incredible women who love Chai as much as I do. One of those women who I would love to bring on full-time is my dedicated mother, who has been with me every step of this entrepreneurial journey. It's a bold goal, but my unwavering dedication makes it an achievable one. Learn more about the Mastercard & Pier Five Small Business Fund, and discover the other 2023 recipients here.

2023 Recipient: Inoki Bathhouse Introducing Inoki Bathhouse, one of the ten recipients of the Mastercard x Pier Five Small Business Fund 2023! Who: Helen Yin Where: Toronto, ON Instagram / Website Inoki Bathhouse was founded by Asian-Canadian management consultant turned serial-entrepreneur Helen Yin, to offer accessible and affordable spa-grade tea bath experiences at home. The brand offers homemade tea bath sets, coupled with a digital app offering curated music and bath ritual tools. This combination transforms any bathroom into a tranquil sanctuary through the art of mindfulness and bathing. Inoki Bathhouse offerings are rooted in cultural practices of traditional medicine and bathing, featuring ethically-sourced premium tea and herbal plant ingredients that benefit both the mind and skin. The tea baths are packed with powerful tea antioxidants and contain an abundant amount of nutrients for the skin. Unlike bath bombs, soaps, and syrups, Inoki’s bath blends are pH balanced, safe for sensitive skin, and provide a unique aromatherapy experience. The business is also passionate about giving back, with over $25,000 CAD donated to the #StopAsianHate movement along with many in-kind donations and volunteering hours given to local charities and non-profits. How will you use the $10,000 CAD for your business? The $10,000 will go towards our first full-time hire. As the business continues to grow rapidly, I have hit my maximum output and having someone to help me full-time will allow me to focus on larger projects and innovations for the business that have been left to the side for too long. Some of these ideas include trade shows around Canada, developing new bath mixes to expand our product catalog, and working on finding a new office/warehouse space for the company in the near future as we have already outgrown our current space. What is your big goal for the future of the business? My long term vision for Inoki Bathhouse is to become, not only the world's first, but largest remote bathhouse company, accessible by anyone. I'd like to expand our product line to cover bathhouses inspired by every region in the world and create timeless, aesthetic bath ritual items that transform the home into a peaceful sanctuary. Most importantly, I want to help this generation find moments of peace and prioritize their well-being in the way I did during my own critical time of need in this chaotic and busy worl Learn more about the Mastercard & Pier Five Small Business Fund, and discover the other 2023 recipients here.

Small Business Activation Grant General Rules 1. Eligibility 1.1 The Pier Five x Intak Printing Activation Grant ("Grant") is open to individuals and businesses that meet the eligibility requirements outlined in the application guidelines. 1.2 Applicants must be legal residents of Canada and at least 18 years of age at the time of application. 1.3 Employees of Pier Five, Intak Printing, and their affiliates, as well as their immediate family members, are not eligible to apply. Apply to the Pier Five x Intak Printing Activation Grant here. 2. Application Process 2.1 Applications must be submitted within the designated application period, as stated in the grant timeline. 2.2 All information provided in the application must be accurate and complete. Pier Five reserves the right to disqualify any applicant providing false or misleading information. 2.3 By submitting an application, applicants consent to receive emails and communications from Pier Five and Intak Printing for marketing, promotional, and informational purposes. Applicants can opt out at any time. 3. Selection and Notification 3.1 Grant recipients will be selected based on criteria established by Pier Five and Intak Printing. 3.2 Finalists may be contacted for interviews as part of the selection process. 3.3 Selected recipients will be notified via email and must confirm their acceptance within a specified timeframe. Failure to respond within the given period may result in disqualification and selection of an alternate recipient. 4. Grant Activation and Use 4.1 The grant is intended for the recipient’s business activation and branding through Intak Printing services. 4.2 Recipients must complete the activation project within the timeframe specified in the grant agreement. 4.3 Pier Five and Intak Printing reserve the right to use the recipient’s name, business name, and activation details for promotional and marketing purposes. 5. Liability and Indemnification 5.1 Pier Five, Intak Printing, and their affiliates shall not be held liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, or special damages arising from the acceptance, use, or participation in the grant program. 5.2 Recipients acknowledge that participation in the activation project is at their own risk. 5.3 Recipients agree to indemnify and hold harmless Pier Five, Intak Printing, and their affiliates from any claims, damages, or losses arising from the activation project. 6. Modification and Termination 6.1 Pier Five and Intak Printing reserve the right to modify or terminate the grant program at any time without prior notice. 6.2 Any changes to these terms will be communicated to applicants and recipients via email or the official Pier Five website. 7. General Conditions 7.1 This grant is non-transferable and cannot be exchanged for cash. 7.2 All decisions made by Pier Five and Intak Printing regarding the grant are final and binding. 7.3 These terms and conditions shall be governed by the laws of the Province of Ontario and applicable Canadian laws. By submitting an application, applicants acknowledge that they have read, understood, and agree to these Terms and Conditions.

2024 Recipient: Paintillio Explore the Mastercard x Pier Five Small Business Fund Introducing Paintillio, one of the ten recipients of the Mastercard x Pier Five Small Business Fund 2024! Founders: Lyssa Kayra & Jess Devenport Location: Vancouver, BC Discover Paintillio online: Website // Instagram About Paintillio Since its founding in 2017, Paintillio has been dedicated to creating high-quality, collaborative paint-by-numbers projects that foster community growth through artistic expression. As Canada’s only provider of large-scale, premium paint-by-numbers murals, made possible by proprietary software, Paintillio empowers people of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds to contribute to a shared creative goal. These projects build teamwork and a sense of accomplishment, whether at corporate teambuilding events, festivals, or public mural installations sponsored by companies to strengthen local communities. Paintillio’s unique approach has attracted major clients like Coca-Cola, Amazon, and Toyota and earned the company nominations for awards like the BC Small Business of the Year. With support from Mastercard and the Pier Five Fund, Paintillio plans to bring even more communities together through the power of shared artistic expression. How will the fund make an impact with your business? With $10,000 from the Mastercard x Pier Five Fund, Paintillio will be able to scale its production capabilities through the development of an advanced software program. These funds will be used to hire a full-time developer for two to three months to work alongside Paintillio’s current developer, enhancing the software to meet both current and future demand. The goal is to increase production capacity to 100 murals per day while reducing project turnaround times from 3-4 weeks to 1-2 weeks, ensuring Paintillio can meet the needs of time-sensitive clients and event planners. By investing in this critical upgrade, the team will also be able to redirect resources toward marketing campaigns and business development in the U.S., supporting the company’s ongoing growth and international expansion. What is your long term goal for the company? One of our long-term goals is to reach $2 million in revenue within the next three years, and our current demand puts us on track to achieve it. However, our in-house software, which transforms client images into custom paint-by-numbers murals, has become a bottleneck. It can take up to 24 hours to render large-scale images, limiting us to one mural per day and a 3-4 week turnaround time. Upgrading this software is crucial to meeting demand, reducing turnaround times, and unlocking new business opportunities. Learn more about the Mastercard & Pier Five Small Business Fund, and discover the other 2024 recipients here.

The September Roundup Welcome to Pier Five monthly round ups, a look back at some of the people, brands & things that caught our eye this month that we thought you should know about. Eames x Reebok Club C Even if you don’t know of famed furniture design duo Charles and Ray Eames, you’ve likely seen their historic work. Now, after teasing an upcoming collaboration with Reebok months ago, we got a look at the Eames x Reebok Club C sneaker and we couldn’t be more excited. The shoe itself is rather simple but does everything right, featuring a premium white tumbled leather upper, multi-color Eames logo on the side, contrasting tan tongues and co-branded Eames Office and Reebok labels to add a little more flair. Unfortunately, these are only made for friends & family, but if this is any representation of what they will be dropping in collaboration with Reebok this Fall, our notification alerts will be on high alert! Trish Andersen Rugs Fiber artist Trish Andersen has a way of creating large scale works of art through yarn in a unique and colourful way. When we say she paints with yarn, we mean it. Her signature colour drip and paint splotch rugs emote a sense of movement, interacting with whatever space they are within. She recently launched her first rug collection featuring 3 iconic designs, “Pure”, “Splat” & “Mixy'' in various sizes which you can now buy at her e-shop. Make sure to grab one of these uniquely fuzzy, drippy works of art before they sell out. Estudio Niksen Herringbone Volume Sets We didn’t know we needed an oversized work jacket and pants set until we saw these from Montreal based design curators Estudio Niksen. They are known for working with independent designers from all over the world to bring well thought-out garments to life, with their most recent release being their Herringbone Volume jacket and pants, made in Korea by designer Peacock Kr. These come in 3 Fall ready colourways, khaki, black and beige and are designed to fit oversized to account for the layering vibes as well as overall comfort. These sets will definitely be staples in your wardrobe this fall so make sure to scoop one up from Estudio Niksen today! Izaak Brandt ‘Deadstock’ Artist Izaak Brandt is exploring archival sneaker culture with his new series ‘Deadstock’. He takes silhouettes from highly sought after sneakers like the Air Jordan 1s all the way to common footwear staples like the Converse All Star and even the Crocs clog and reduces the functionality of them down to a semi-transparent, skeletal-like structure. Brandt hopes to highlight how sneaker collectors are basically treating footwear like a sculpture and not using them for their functional purpose as footwear. Being sneaker lovers ourselves, we really like his narrative and couldn’t agree with his questioning of the culture more. Be sure to follow Izaak’s journey on his Instagram as we’re sure there’s going to be so much more great work to come. MAD mfg ‘Indigo Ultra’ After a bit of a break, we are so excited to see designer Eske Schiralli back with his brand MAD mfg’s third collection. Titled “Indigo Ultra”, the collection focuses on upcycling pre-loved jeans, deconstructing and reconstructing the denim to create 1 of 1 patchwork versions of wide-legged, straight and flared cuts. Each pair mixes different dyes and is made to order, ensuring that your pair will be 100% unique. The rest of the collection includes a boxy chore coat style shirt as well as a bandana to complete the look. Check out the lookbook and shop the full range of pieces at the brand’s website. Stay tuned to The Roundup series to discover the coolest new people, brands and releases each month and keep it locked to all of Pier Five for stories and interviews with our favourite designers, entrepreneurs, creators and more.

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

2023 Recipient: Zing Introducing Zing, one of the ten recipients of the Mastercard x Pier Five Small Business Fund 2023! Who: Jannine Rane Where: Toronto, ON Instagram / Website Zing works in collaboration with diverse Canadian chefs and food creators to bottle their secret sauces for home cooks. Their sauces and seasonings are designed to be “pantry shortcuts” — home cooks can add Zing to ANY protein, vegetable or starch to create meals with globally inspired, restaurant quality flavour in minutes, minus the effort. Zing currently has a portfolio of nine distinct products representing creators, cuisines and cultures from around the world (e.g. an Indo-Chinese Chili Crisp inspired by Toronto’s Hakka diaspora, a garam masala with Persian influences etc.) that are made with premium, “real” ingredients and are sourced from Canadian suppliers wherever possible. How will you use the $10,000 CAD for your business? Zing has a new, exciting product release on the horizon, slated for summer of 2024 with two well known Toronto food personalities. We will use a portion of this funding to support our public Test Kitchen innovation process that involves community testing product prototypes. To elaborate: a part of our unique value proposition and one of our values as a company is to build “in community” — this means all our unreleased product formulations go through rigorous public testing with input from REAL consumers and tastemakers; we iterate until we have a “community approved” product recipe that we ultimately release to virtual and IRL shelves. It's a lot of fun, and it helps us minimize the bias in our work, while de-risking products before they release. Remaining funds will be used to support Zing’s goal of becoming B Corporation certified, including anticipated certification and consulting fees. What is your big goal for the future of the business? Over the next five years, our goal is to be available in every major Canadian city, and have a presence in every province and territory. We are also working towards expanding our presence internationally, in the USA to start, where we already have a growing grassroots community of independent retailers stocking and championing our products. Today, we manufacture, warehouse, and ship entirely out of Toronto; we hope that in three to fiveyears we would be able to set up a presence in the USA to capture margin efficiencies and lower our cost of acquiring new customers in the region. Learn more about the Mastercard & Pier Five Small Business Fund, and discover the other 2023 recipients here.