TORONTO, OCTOBER 17th, 2011- Walking through this village on this chilly monday morning, the place was quiet and empty; perfect to appreciate all the secrets this place had to offer.
The Distillery District is a national historic site with an incredibly rich history; the site was once The Gooderham and Worts Distillery, and represents the largest and best preserved collection of Victorian Industrial Architecture in North America.
Luckily, the District has been transformed, not into another “historic district” or “pioneer village” but into something exciting and unique. What you will find is a “dramatic fusion of old and new, an inspired blend of Victorian Industrial architecture and stunning 21st century design and creativity.”
Where once stood a distillery, flour mills and cooper shop, contemporary artist and entrepreneurs now share their avant-garde creations. The result is an one-of-a-kind village of galleries, studios, restaurants, cafes, theatres and stores. As for fashion stores, two boutiques particularly grab the attention.
Distill is gallery that showcase individual handmade works by different canadian artists, craftspeople and designers, contributing “to contemporary material and visual culture”. The gallery offers a wide selection of quirky and cute jewelry and objects. The kids section was really interesting with all the mobiles flowing in the air.
Finally, Lileo was a one-of-a-kind store, between the art gallery and the sanctuary. Everything was unchalently displayed, in a sort of spiritual way where touching the garments and apreciating the textures were part of the redemption. We could see it as a contemporary lifestyle shopping experience, with a carefully chosen selection of book, clothes, (great!) denims and accessoires. From the moment you entered in the store, you are filled with this inner peace, the impression you need to take your time, justenjoy the moment, in order to see and explore every single little treasures. As the owners said, the chosen products are all about discovery and challenging the norm.
Definetely, the District is brimming creativity and creative people.
[MARIE-CHARLES]
Pictures credit: www.thedistillerydistrict.com/
