A Conversation With Photographer Wade Hudson As a creative, there are many avenues that you can take to turn your passion into a career. More often than not, this will require others and understanding how to balance personal efforts and the inclusion of those around you will take you to great heights. Toronto based photographer Wade Hudson understood this early on, partnering with those whom he enjoyed and shared passions with, creating equal value and fostering growth for one another. The secrets of finding great people to work with take time to uncover and we got the chance to catch up with Wade to learn about how he identifies talent around him, capitalizes on opportunities at every moment and produces the best possible outcome within each situation. Take a read through the conversation below to hear from one of Toronto’s best shooters. In 2013 you did a shoot with a wee youngster by the name of Joey Bada$$. How does it feel shooting people at an early age and then watching them blow up into huge superstars? Nearly every person I shoot I am a big fan of so watching them come up is really quite fascinating to me. When I heard [Joey] bada$$, I was like “this guy is going to be a huge star”. It’s obviously hard for me to know at the moment where they’ll be down the line but that doesn’t matter to me when I’m working. When I’m around people like that I try to just be myself and show my interest in them. Joey and so many others are so genuine and great people and that makes it really fun to follow their careers and growth. The best thing is seeing where they are years later and know that their attitudes haven't changed and that they’re still humble. What are some tips you’d give to creatives looking to connect with talent to work with? If you’re seeking out talent to work with, make sure that your skill is at the level that it needs to be to execute your vision with the talent. After that, be ready to move quickly. Opportunities don’t always come with a lot of advanced notice. Be ready to move on things at any moment. I’d also say, from a mental standpoint, know that anyone is accessible if you persevere. This doesn’t mean they are accessible today but if you work hard enough, anyone can be accessible and so you should always shoot your shot. You won’t get anywhere if you never ask. Another way to get buy-in from talent is to remember that someone’s time can be more valuable than money. Don’t overlook experience and the impact that personal connections can make in the long term. Lastly, be patient. Things take time so don’t give up. When you have the time to plan with someone, how long does it take to ideate a shoot? It’s really as long as I have. I usually don’t have a ton of time so I work with the elements in the moment. When I do have time, I’ll just make sure I can complete all the needed - or ideal - steps in that amount of time. Finding references, finding the right people to bring in like stylists, creative directors, etc. is all important. I’ll try to get calls or meetings together beforehand to discuss how we can make the best product possible and how we can cater the shoot to the subject. How involved are the subjects in creating the story for the shoot? For the most part, when I reach out to people I have the concept of what I want them to look like already in mind. If it’s my creative shoot, it has to follow my style and I need you to do what I have envisioned. Obviously I'm open to ideas depending on who you are, like if you’re a creative director you might have good ideas, but if I simply approach you because I like your look, I will have the concept down. This is different though if I’m shooting for a client and their ideated project. In that case, I’m helping execute their vision. Would you say more of your work is client focused or your creative work? It depends on the time of year so that’s hard to say. They go hand in hand though for my career so it’s not too big of a deal to do one more than the other from time to time. My creative work is how I pull clients in and my client work pays for my creative work. I’d always like to do more creative work but client work is needed. Right. That’s a good outlook on the two. Do you think you could ever get to a point where you’re only doing creative work? I think there are photographers that have found a great balance where the work they do on their own and the work they do for clients are very similar but it’s hard to only ever do your own thing, if only due to money. I’m always working to bring my ideas into the client work to make it fun and reduce the space between that and my client work but I don’t think I’d ever stop doing client work. Interesting, and I guess client work also brings new sets of challenges that can make you a better photographer. Changing gears now, what are 5 do’s or don’ts of shooting with someone for the first time? That is true and a great question. I can only give these tips from my perspective but... DON’T have your camera in hand when you first meet someone. This helps to remove the power dynamic of the subject and photographer. DO h ave a conversation with the subject before you shoot. Learn about them and what they are comfortable with. This will make the shoot much better for everyone and deliver the best results. DON’T talk about why you’re qualified or who you’ve worked with in the past. In that moment, nobody cares about who you’ve shot in the past. DON’T show the subject the shots when you’re shooting. It often makes the subjects less comfortable. Instead, talk to them as you shoot. Sometimes you can’t follow this depending on the subject but this is what I find is typically best. DO discuss what the subject should be doing in the photograph before they sit in front of you. You want to make sure everyone knows what they’re going into. You recently became a father (congratulations!). Has that journey with your wife and now your newborn son influenced your work? Thank you! Right now, not too much has changed but I imagine as he grows, it may impact the work, what jobs I take, how I see things, etc. Just a crazy time learning to be a father [laughs]. Although it was published over 7 years ago, your Jamaican Proverb Series still lives as one of the best photography series that we have ever seen. Do you have a proverb that you live by? A lot of these are just kind of always relevant but one that I think back on a lot is “Ebry dawg ave im day, ebry puss im four a clock.” which translates to “Every dog has his day, every cat his 4 o’clock.” This has a few meanings. Some days you win and some days you love. Good fortune comes at different times for everyone. Do not behave as if you are better than others. Oh, love that. Super important as a creative for sure. Do you have a favourite story from your time as a photographer? Yes! About 5 years ago I went to London because I was interested in potentially moving out there and wanted to check out the scene. Some of the modelling agencies out there were having these openings where you can just go and shoot their models. They basically invite you out, introduce you to the models and you shoot for the day. I went out and shot about five or six models that day and got some shots that I really liked. After the shoot I went onto the agency websites to find all of the models I had shot but there was one person I couldn’t find anywhere. It turns out that it was Grace Bol who is a big time model, like she’s been on iPhone backgrounds including my own [laughs] and has modelled for so many major brands. She’s huge! I don’t even know why she was there that day and I had been speaking to her for about twenty minutes without a clue of who she was and it was such a wild moment realizing it after the fact. Honestly, it was probably better that I didn’t know at the time or I likely wouldn’t have had the confidence to ask her to shoot. Wow! That’s insane. I guess sometimes it’s better not knowing all [laughs]. Lastly, now that we are starting to return to some normalcy in the world, what are you most excited for work-wise? I just want to go back home to Jamaica. I have a ton of ideas and people that I want to be with and I just can’t get down right now so that will be the first thing I do when I can. I lived there until I was sixteen and then moved here. Before Covid I was there a few times a year so I really want to get back. Check out more of Wade's work on his website and follow him on Instagram to catch all of his latest work. Keep it locked to Pier Five for more interviews and stories with the coolest entrepreneurs, designers, artists, activists and more.

Finding That Secret Sauce With Tam Vu When you’re on a team, there is room to be comfortable. Once you’re out on your own, everything falls onto your shoulders. Depending on who you are, this can be daunting or extremely exciting. Vietnamese-Canadian artist Tam Vu sits on the side of excitement having set out on his own, only a little over a year ago, after spending most of his time with different teams in the creative fashion industry. Now on a mission to bring the stories of his native country to North America through a fashion and lifestyle goods import business and visual art, Tam is keeping very busy and having fun doing it. We had the pleasure of speaking with Tam about his business, setting out on his own, how he stays motivated and authentic through his work and his keys to finding the secret sauce that can take any creator to new heights. Hey Tam! Can you talk about the purpose behind your TKV business? I was starting to burn out at the design studio I was working at and it was difficult not to notice that the racist micro aggressions were becoming more and more overt in my daily life during the pandemic. Like, I know racism exists. It didn’t go away while I was too busy head-down-pedal-to-the-metal working. I faced micro aggressions on the daily – but I had learned to deal/cope with it by not giving it any energy otherwise I would just be angry all the time, and I just didn’t have the bandwidth, or personality, for that When the pandemic hit, like many others, I had the time and privilege to reflect on what was going on personally and professionally. This sounds so egocentric... but I thought about how unique and un-unique I was. My whole environment and context of being Vietnamese, being Canadian, belonging, not belonging, working in design and culture, skateboarding, basketball, my life experiences, language, code switching, on and on, makes me a unique person, but I also share a lot of the same challenges and experiences that other diaspora (Vietnamese or not) face. With this line of thinking, I wanted to create something for others like me. I wanted to create a framework that could both support an artistic practice and also support my golf addiction… and to do it in a way that I could still sleep at night. I wanted to create something that I never had when I was younger, something Vietnamese, something ______, something in-between, something – maybe not to look up to – but just something that existed. I want a 12 year old me to look at this project and be like WOW this is so sick, but also if the 12 year old me sees this project and thinks WOW this is so suck, I can do this, but better. That for me, is just as amazing. That’s why it was important to have my Vietnamese name be front facing, so people know – it’s Vietnamese. I don’t know, the long and short of it is exactly that, exactly the name, TKV® Business & Fine Arts. It’s just biz and sometimes it’s not. Do you find that the import business and the art business work together or are they more separate? They definitely work together. The imports help support my art practice and the art practice helps support the business. They go hand in hand. I have a flowchart that I made for myself when I was launching the project that I’ll refer to from time to time that outlines exactly how. It was important for me to create a financial framework where the business side and my art practice could sustain themselves independently of each other. I didn’t want to be put in a position where I had to make weird business decisions to fund an art project, or not be able to make a project because of a lack of funds. I don’t know – even the business side is an art project in itself. At the end of the day, it all works together in one bank account and stews in one brain, so it is what it is. Photo: Ryan Lebel How do you choose which products to import for that portion of TKV? Intuition? A lot of these items are goods that I’ve been drawn to from a young age when I would go to Vietnam. I always liked the slides, dép tổ ong, and learned through my community and family about their cultural significance. There’s no How It’s Made or Wikipedia page on them, the slides have an oral history and I am happy to share this history through TKV. This same thinking is applied to the work suits that I import, the stools, the fans, the bags. These are all common place products in Vietnam – and I love being able to share their significance to a wider audience. The suits are wild. They are labourer uniforms for blue collar workers, made all over Vietnam in hundreds of different colours and materials. The crazy thing is – from factory to factory throughout Vietnam, it’s the same pattern, same cut, same everything, same every time. Having worked in apparel production domestically, I know from experience, even having production replicate a pattern, THAT THEY MADE, is sometimes a harrowing experience. The stools are amazing, it’s like Vietnam’s monobloc chair. Cheaply made, abundant, honestly beautiful. I love going to a food stand and this is what everyone is sitting on. Obama and Bourdain sat on the XL version, but still, same same. These are products that resonated with me and through this project I get to investigate why. When you land on my website – you get all the research, all the why’s and what I’ve found. I invite you to investigate the why’s with me and hope you fall in love with the items too. Or you just like the colour, that’s fine too. Photo: Ryan Lebel What have you learned from launching the project? I learned that you need to try, to try. It’s easy to get stuck trying to perfect the sauce, or what you think is the perfect sauce, but at the end of the day you need to be able to open the restaurant. And if you don’t want to turn on the restaurant OPEN light, at least open the door. You need to be able to do it and to keep it moving. I learn something from everything I do, good and bad. Sometimes I like the feeling of being scared, standing on the top of the cliff getting ready to jump in the water. I’ll stand there for a while, and think about how scared I am, and how cool it is that I am so scared, because how often in life do I feel this scared. Then I jump. The trick for me is acknowledging that I’m scared but that I still need to do it, because I don’t want to climb back down the cliff, dry, and all my friends are there, and they will all post stories on IG that I didn’t jump, and they will laugh, but in a supportive way, and I will feel sheepish, and regret that I didn’t try. I know sometimes this is easier said than done but you really just have to do it. It’ll say on my gravestone “At least he tried” [laughs]. Couldn’t agree more with that. Let’s talk about the art side more. You recently exhibited ‘Their Country’ in Montreal, a painting series which depicts your interpretations of your family’s stories of immigration and painted by painters in Vietnam. Was it challenging working with painters overseas and why was it important for you to pursue that path? So, those painters actually lived three blocks away from my family home in HCMC. I used to walk by them every day and so the communication wasn’t really any more challenging than speaking with apparel suppliers overseas. Being able to speak Vietnamese obviously helped as well. It was important for me to work with the painters in HCMC because they were an integral part of the artworks. The paintings are the “art objects” but the entire process is the art. The communications through the supply chain to make the paintings, the conversations with my family, the translation of the memories, these are the vital and critical parts of the work. For me, outsourcing the paintings to oil painters in Vietnam was not a means to find cheap labour, but to engage the Vietnamese painters into an artwork that also speaks to their experiences and perspectives. The War impacted an entire population and continues to have ripple effects through generations and isn’t bound by geographic borders. The conversations that emerged from these paintings are extremely valuable to me. What was the exhibition experience like? This was my first art show as an artist. It felt like a bootcamp putting everything together. There is some crossover from my previous work doing pop-ups and seeing what it takes to do that, but this is really another learning experience. I was able to see what worked, what didn’t work, what took too much energy, what needed more energy. It was low stakes enough that I could experiment with what felt right to me, but also high enough pressure that I didn’t want to fail. I often struggle a lot with perfectionism in my work but, with this, I really just put it out there and enjoyed myself. Shout out to the ARTCH exhibition team, Sarah, Margot, Myriam, as well as all the participating artists. Everyone was amazing. Well whatever you did, it definitely worked! You also have some other unique ventures in the works; Cheers Mate Soda & Piano Golf. What’s the story behind these? With Piano Golf I wanted to find a way to bring a new perspective to golf. It always felt out of reach with huge cultural barriers. During the pandemic I got into it, and found that it had so many similarities to things that I loved like being outside, competing against myself, hitting a ball. In a way it felt a lot like skateboarding, like knowing where your body is in space, trying the same motion over and over again. Once again, I found that there wasn’t anything out in the golf world that really connected with me. I started this fun business (emphasis on fun) with my friends Myles Perkins and Dylan Bourdeau, it’s a way to intersect golf with other aspects of our interests. Plus it was a way to find more excuses to golf. Cheers Mate (mah-teh) Yerba Soda is an opportunity that presented itself to me at a time where I was looking to work on a project that was a little more biz focused. It’s still in its infancy, a classic – we’ve opened the door to the restaurant but the OPEN sign is not on yet. It’s been a great experience working on this project so far and I’m looking forward to where it’ll lead next… cheers! In an age where everything we see on social media is so calculated, you seem to just have fun with it and post whatever is on your mind. How do you feel about the current state of social media and do you think we all need to be a bit more chill? When I was getting ready to launch TKV® Business & Fine Arts, I put so much time and thought into how my Instagram was going to be, and look and feel, and had this realization like, damn – if I stress like this every time I need to make a post or story, it’s going to be horrible. How do I find a way to make this easy? So I just really post what I think is funny, pertinent and easy, and if my business fails because of this – then there are bigger issues with my business than that. Some of the content have planning behind them, but I do that because I enjoy it – and because I feel like it’s important to tell a certain story a certain way. Honestly I’m just trying to try here. For others, it’s so subjective and so hard for me to say what others should do. People should just do what is comfortable for them. Feel that! Before we let you go, what’s next for Tam Vu? Well, I’m going home to have dinner and that’s exciting [laughs]. I am moving into a new studio which I’m super excited for. I’m going to be setting up a showroom and a space where I can execute more stuff. A severe lockdown mandate in Vietnam was just lifted, so a lot of things are about to start coming in. The supply chain is still a mess, so a 3-4 month forecast is murky, but I have the next few collections and coloured suits coming in. I received some funding to do some more paintings and have some other art projects on the horizon too. I also just received a hand me down golf simulator, so hopefully this will keep me busy over the winter. I’m also learning to play piano… The winter is usually my most productive time… I try to stave off the winter blues this way. Check out Tam's Instagram for news on his upcoming releases and hit the TKV Shop to cop some sweet Vietnamese gear. Keep it locked to Pier Five for more interviews and stories with the coolest entrepreneurs, designers, artists, activists and more.

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.

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 .

A Spring Clean-Up Day to Remember This past weekend, more than 70 creatives and entrepreneurs in our community came together to make a meaningful difference in our city. Hosted in partnership with our friends at Lost & Found and Sonndr , the Pier Five Community Clean-Up Day was more than just a feel-good networking event. It was a powerful reminder of what can happen when community shows up, rolls up its sleeves, and gets to work. With blue skies above and energy high, volunteers gathered at Sonndr, a local-favourite right above trinity Bellwoods Park, for free coffee and clean up gear before spreading out across the park to clean up ahead of the upcoming summer season. This clean-up day wasn't just about waste removal, it was about building pride in where we live and making space for connection. It was about being outside, doing something hands-on, and creating a ripple effect of impact. Thank you to everyone who came out, brought good vibes, and made this event such a success. And big love to Lost & Found and Sonndr for being the perfect co-hosts, offering coffee, warmth, and a hub for connection. We’re already thinking about the next one. Until then, stay connected, stay community-minded, and stay BIG on the little things that make a big difference. To learn more about upcoming Pier Five events, follow us on Instagram !

Stories Read the latest thoughts from Pier Five and its guests. Business (84) 84 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 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 14, 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 4, 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 29, 2025 5 Essential Tax Strategies for Small Business Owners to Save Money Mar 7, 2025 Empowering Women Entrepreneurs: Mastercard x Pier Five's 2024/25 Priceless Experience Mar 2, 2025

Pier Five Turns Five: A Landmark End-of-Year Celebration and the Launch of Pier Five Studios On November 29, Pier Five marked a major milestone with our biggest event to date, celebrating five years of building, creating, and pushing culture forward. What began as an anniversary celebration quickly became something much bigger: a full-scale showcase of our creative capabilities and the first public announcement of Pier Five Studios, our new agency. With 200 guests in attendance, the night was a resounding success and a defining moment in our journey. An Immersive Brand Experience The event was designed as a living demonstration of what Pier Five can deliver, blending brand, culture, and experience into one cohesive environment. The space was filled with a variety of brand activations, each contributing to the energy and narrative of the night: Alcoholic bars hosted by Great Estates, Banditos Mexican Lager & Coco Rum Fast Magic delivered a custom sticker bar featuring new designs and exclusive collaborations Ho Lei Fook elevated the evening with Hong Kong–inspired fusion small bites A game zone arcade by PUMA and Pier Five brought playful competition into the space and dozens of incredible prizes to be won An interactive photo booth by Intak Printing captured the night in real time A non-alc hydration zone powered by VOSS, Well Juices and Electrolit. Every element was intentionally designed to spark interaction, discovery, and connection. Five Years of Pier Five At the heart of the evening was a moment of reflection. Guests were treated to a five-year recap video , highlighting the evolution of Pier Five, from its early days to the platform it has become today. The video served not only as a look back, but as a bridge to what comes next. Introducing Pier Five Studios At the end of the recap, we made our first public announcement of Pier Five Studios , our new agency arm of Pier Five. This event was the largest and most ambitious showcase we have ever produced, and it was by design. It represented a clear statement of intent: Pier Five Studios is here , and we are ready to build world-class brand experiences, creative campaigns, and cultural moments for our partners. From concept to execution, the night embodied the full spectrum of our capabilities. Looking Ahead to 2026 This End-of-Year celebration was more than a party. It was a milestone, a proof point, and a launchpad. We are incredibly grateful to our partners, collaborators, and community who showed up and helped make the night unforgettable. As we close out this chapter and look ahead, we are energized and focused on building in 2026.

2022 Recipient: Aaniin Introducing Aaniin, one of the five recipients of the Mastercard x Pier Five Small Business Fund 2022! Who: Chelsee Pettit Where: Toronto, ON Instagram / Website Aaniin, which means hello in Ojibwe/anishinaabemowin, started as a streetwear brand that uses syllabics as the design focus to raise awareness for Indigenous culture. Each garment, made by Chelsee herself, includes a tagged QR code which allows the wearer to start the conversation about indigenous languages as well as pass on the information to others. Most recently, the business has developed into a full-time pop-up at Toronto's Stackt Market which houses products from Aaniin as well as other local Indigenous artists and designers. The main goal of the brand is to serve as a platform that can help create opportunities for other Indigenous creators and spread awareness around the beauty of Indigenous culture. Why was mentorship from Mastercard so important for you? As first time founders, many of us are getting into positions where we can pave paths for others but it's first very important for us to be able to learn from others who have already been out there themselves and done that. Being able to take their insights and established practices and find ways to turn that into opportunity for marginalized communities has been really important for me as a small business owner. "The fund has allowed me to hire staff for my store and give me the time and freedom to fundraise further, while keeping control with indigenous minds and allow me to build economic prosperity within the indigenous communities." "We think the future of small business in Canada is Indigenous." Learn more about the Mastercard & Pier Five Small Business Fund, and discover the other 2022 recipients here .

Small Business Activation Grant Pier Five and Intak Printing are teaming up to give small business owners the chance to bring their next activation to life—completely free . Through this grant, selected recipients will receive high-quality printed assets from Intak Printing and marketing, operational, and community support from Pier Five to help execute their event or brand activation. Whether it’s a pop-up shop, product launch, community event, or creative installation, this program is designed to empower small businesses with the resources they need to make an impact. Grand Prize Grays Runner Up Stimmie Runner Up Yueh Tung Restaurant Grand Prize $10,000 CAD of Custom Printed Materials - Provided by Intak Printing. This could include signage, posters, menus, packaging, wall decals or other essential assets. Operational & Marketing Support – Pier Five will help with: Connecting recipients to local vendors and suppliers Pre-activation content support (storytelling, interviews, social media features) On-site and post-event coverage for social & web content Bringing in community brand partners for in-kind product support Runner Up Prizing Two Runner-Up Prizes: $2,000 CAD credit to Intak Printing and a dedicated social content feature with Pier Five. To be eligible for the Pier Five x Intak Printing Small Business Activation Grant, applicants must meet the following criteria: Business Location: Must be a registered business operating within the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). Business Registration: Must be a legally registered business in Canada (sole proprietorship, partnership, or corporation). Proof of registration may be required. Business Age: Must have been in operation for at least one (1) year as of the application date. Revenue Cap: Must have an annual gross revenue of under $2 million CAD. Activation Alignment: The proposed activation (e.g., pop-up shop, community event, product launch, or creative installation) must: Be feasible to execute before December 31, 2025. Align with the small business’s brand, product, or service offerings. Be open to the public or targeted toward community engagement (private corporate events do not qualify). Commitment to Execution: Recipients must actively participate in the grant program, including: Providing updates on activation progress. Engaging in pre- and post-activation content (e.g., interviews, social features). Allowing Pier Five and Intak Printing to document and share their activation journey. Exclusions: Franchises, multi-level marketing businesses, and passive investment businesses are not eligible. Businesses engaged in illegal or unethical activities will not be considered. Previous winners of a Pier Five grant within the past 12 months are ineligible. Marketing: Recipients must be following @pier.five and @intakprintingcanada on Instagram For full grant terms and conditions, click here.

2023 Recipient: U Grow Girl Introducing U Grow Girl, one of the ten recipients of the Mastercard x Pier Five Small Business Fund 2023! Who: Crystal Wood & Leha Marshall Where: Kelowna, BC Instagram / Website U Grow Girl is a family-run flower farm located in Salmon Arm, BC (between Kelowna and Kamloops) that is dedicated to providing beautiful, locally grown flowers to the community. The farm grows seasonal flowers with a purpose - to support women who have survived child sexual abuse. Sales from each bouquet of flowers helps fund the "Time To Heal" clinically supervised retreat, which provides education, connection, and support needed to help survivors heal and reclaim their power. How will you use the $10,000 CAD for your business? One of the main uses for the fund is to increase the size of our “Bucket Program”, a tap-and-go flower sale service hosted in local shops that has significantly accelerated the growth of our business, by allowing customers to quickly make flower purchases on the fly. The rest of the fund would go towards infrastructure support on our Grey Water Initiative, an environmental project that helps collect and reuse water that has been used for plant growth. Finally, we would also use the funds for our website development, specifically for our online artisan marketplace that we’re excited to launch soon. What is your big goal for the future of the business? Our vision is to become the go-to of the floral industry in Canada, establishing a nationwide collective of local flower farms. We aim to make U Grow Girl synonymous with community empowerment, sustainability, and support for survivors of child sexual abuse. We will strive to expand our retreats, offering a sanctuary to countless survivors, and fostering an environment of healing and hope on a national scale. Learn more about the Mastercard & Pier Five Small Business Fund, and discover the other 2023 recipients here .

A Conversation With Garret "GMAN" Louie of TAIKAN Photo: @whentheyfindus It’s no secret that Canada hasn't always been the hub for dope brands and culture that it is now. For decades, the space was dominated by cities like New York, Los Angeles, Tokyo and Paris. Garret “GMAN” Louie, a Vancouver native, has been doing his thing to change that. With over twenty-five years of experience throwing some of the best parties in the country and bringing some of the coolest skate and street brands to Canadian shops, GMAN has solidified the great north as a prominent epicenter for all things cool . As the co-founder of a top-tier streetwear and sneaker shop Livestock and owner of multiple distribution agencies, Fortune Sound music venue and TAIKAN, one of the hottest bags brands in the market, GMAN is one of those people that you need on your radar. We were lucky enough to speak with him about what he’s been working on lately and pick his brain for some tips that any creative person can apply to their hustle. Take a read through the interview below and stay tuned for a likely part two since GMAN’s stories are endless! Hey GMAN! It’s great to be chatting with you. For those who may not be familiar, can you tell us a little about yourself? Hey guys! Well first and foremost, I am a father and husband living in Vancouver, British Columbia and I love to do stuff for my community. I was a co-founder of Canadian streetwear shop Livestock and I co-own two distribution companies called Timebomb Trading Inc and FBOMB Trading Inc. A few years ago I also started TAIKAN, an essentials bag and apparel brand. Wow! You’ve got a lot going on. What do you think were the driving factors that got you so involved in this space over time? As a kid I was really into skateboarding, punk rock, rap and all that stuff. My dad had a sales agency for menswear that sold suits and ties, so I wasn’t really that interested. One day his agency brought on a more youthful surf brand which sparked some interest for me. I told my Dad I wanted to explore distribution as I had found this brand called Freshjive and wanted to import it. I ended up getting in touch with the owner & he was down and I threw a big party in Van for them. I was really able to build the brand and connect with the community. The party went super well and things just kept going from there. A number of years later I started Livestock with Garry Bone and that really led the way for all of my current ventures, spending so much time around various brands and the nightlife scene. Very cool to see you taking that initiative early on. Having worked in the distribution industry for fashion and streetwear brands for so long, what triggered the desire to start your own brand, TAIKAN? After working with brands for so long and meeting all the people behind them you really start to learn the process of developing and growing successful brands. Eventually I started to notice some gaps in what the market/retail space had and saw an opportunity to start TAIKAN to help with my own roster on the distribution side. Vancouver has become such a hub for new brands with the different seasons as there is so much good gear coming out of here. Today we have labels like Reigning Champ, Arcteryx, Lululemon, Herschel and Purple Brand. Even brands like Stussy have their creative team based out of here now. Back in the day people never even really knew where Vancouver was but all that has changed now. That makes a lot of sense when looking at it from a distribution standpoint, having one business help the other and growing them together. What was the inspiration for the brand and the bags? I have been a huge fan of our friends at Herschel’s success but my personal aesthetic is a bit more higher end and a little more Japanese influenced which is something we don’t have much of in Canada. The problem with the nice Japanese stuff is it’s very expensive so we wanted to create something that could be affordable, yet have cleaner aesthetics and be inspired by design, photography, art, music & skateboarding. Love it. We also hear that TAIKAN is set to release its first apparel collection later this month! What was the reason for expanding beyond bags and why now? We’ve done a lot with bags over the years. We’ve had some amazing collabs with brands like Pleasures, BEAMS, Soulection and SNEEZE, etc. and have gotten into a ton of amazing shops around the world. The thing with bags is, from a volume standpoint in stores, you can’t stock as much as you can with apparel. Twelve to twenty-four bags in a shop might seem like a lot, whereas for apparel, you have more options. With COVID happening and people not travelling as much, it felt like the right time to pivot to apparel. Makes sense! What’s the vibe for the apparel drop? A lot of the brands are very logo heavy so I wanted the TAIKAN assortment to be less branded and more about quality, fit and feel. We’re all about creating timeless pieces that can be in your wardrobe forever. We want this to be your favourite hoodie, your go-to cargo pant, etc. Design wise it’s a lot of basics/ staples/essentials, but we also tapped some cool artists for collabs and brought in some fun custom dyes to spice things up a bit. Basics with a twist. We’re also going seasonless and general neutral for our apparel which makes it a lot easier for stores to support, especially during COVID, and the reception has been overwhelming. Everything will start hitting shelves late August and we’re pumped for people to get their hands on it. In the meantime, make sure to check out www.taikaneverything.com and follow @taikaneverything on IG. Photo: @eligorin We’re big fans of the timeless classics! Can’t wait to check it out. You mentioned some of the awesome collabs you’ve done in the past. What are your 5 tips to execute a successful collaboration? The first thing is to really think about why you’re doing the collaboration. Don’t just collaborate for collaboration’s sake. It has to be a good fit. Tap into your relationships. It’s always more fun to collab with friends or people you know and respect. Be thoughtful with the story and design. Don’t just slap a logo on something. Make sure the collab tells a story that people can feel. Start early and be patient. Sometimes these projects can take up to a year to create but it will all be worth it. Lastly, make something that you’d want to have yourself. It will always lead to a better product and a final outcome that you are the most happy with. Bonus: There are no rules! Try new things and have fun. These are great tips! What’s one of your favourite projects that you’ve done with TAIKAN so far? We have an ongoing project called TAIKAN By that I love. Essentially we tap artists, photographers, creators, etc that we are into, send them bags and apparel and let them do their thing with it. Rather than trying to manage what they create, we let them put their spin on it and it makes for some really great content. Sometimes we can get really out of the box like our latest collaboration with Tatum Maclean ( @zeustate ) who did a Hansel and Gretel theme shoot. It turned out amazing! We’ll then also do an interview or have them choose a playlist for our site as well to really give them representation on our page. You can find Tatum Maclean’s TAIKAN BY here. That seems like a really smart way to keep things fresh. On that note, as someone who’s been in the space for decades, we’re sure you’ve seen many brands come and go. What are some key traits that you think brands need to have to stand the test of time? I actually don’t mind that brands come and go. I think that sometimes brands change to keep up with the changing times and it takes away from the authenticity of the brand. I look at a lot of brands and think, as the owners grow, how do you still continue to appeal to the new younger generations? Some brands can obviously last though. It comes down to focusing on authenticity and not letting money or extreme growth get in the way. If you think about a brand like Stussy who’s been around for thirty plus years, they had a period of time where they were in every Zumiez and that definitely diluted the brand a bit, but then they pulled out. I think people really respected it. It was a ton of lost revenue at first but the community that the brand is for really respected the move and I think that’s what has helped them be so legit. That’s a good way to look at it. I guess we don’t need everything forever. Lastly, it’s no secret that with decades of experience, you know how to throw a good party. What are 5 must haves for any GMAN certified party? Vibes are super important. If there are good vibes then everything else will follow. Sometimes you might need to spend some extra money on the best DJ or let some people in for free and give up cover to get the vibes just right. It’s worth it. You need to have dope music and the right talent for the crowd. We always try to source the best locally and also bring people from around the world. Pack up the party with the right people. No one likes an empty party. Try not to stress too much, especially when the party is going on. Just have fun. Have fun but don’t over indulge. The only way to be able to do this for many years is to have a good balance. Check out GMAN , TAIKAN and Fortune Sound on Instagram and make sure to visit TAIKAN’s website for more news on their apparel release coming at the end of August. Also don’t forget to keep it locked to Pier Five for more interviews and stories with the coolest entrepreneurs, designers, artists, activists and more.

Pier Five’s 2024 End-of-Year Celebration Pier Five closed out the year with an unforgettable end-of-year party, bringing together our vibrant community of creatives, entrepreneurs, partners, and friends. This curated event was our way of saying thank you to everyone who made this year another memorable chapter in our story. (Swipe through the photos) The evening was alive with excitement and connection. Guests enjoyed thoughtfully crafted bites and beverages that perfectly complemented the festive atmosphere. Music, led by the talented DJ collective Mirage Collective, set the tone with an unforgettable soundtrack. The event offered space for creatives and entrepreneurs to connect, reflect on the year’s achievements, and exchange ideas, while also giving attendees a sneak peek into Pier Five’s exciting plans for the future. (Swipe through the photos) A photo booth added to the fun, allowing guests to capture memories and take home lasting mementos. Each guest also received a curated gift bag filled with special items from our generous Pier Five partners: PUMA , No Days Wasted , Gol's Noodles , Electrolit , Kuwalla Tee , Chipotle and Fit Factory . We introduced a unique station called Pier Five Power Up Cards , where guests could print personalized cards with positive prompts. These keepsakes provided uplifting messages for moments of discouragement or stress, adding a thoughtful touch to the evening. (Swipe through the photos) A standout moment of the night was honoring Jun Arnaiz, Pier Five’s DJ and videographer of the year and founder of Mirage Collective . To celebrate his contributions and support his entrepreneurial journey, Pier Five awarded Jun a grant of $555.55—a reflection of our commitment to uplifting small businesses and celebrating the passion that drives them. As we wrapped up the year, the celebration reminded us of the creativity, passion, and connections that make the Pier Five community so special. The energy and enthusiasm of the night have us inspired and excited for what’s to come. Thank you to everyone who joined us for this magical evening. Let’s continue to champion small businesses and creative entrepreneurs as we step into a new year filled with endless possibilities. Join our waitlist and follow us on Instagram for updates on all of our upcoming events in 2025!