Just in time for holiday shopping, the first-ever fully Indigenous-owned department store will be popping up in Toronto.
For the month of December, an Indigenous department store named aaniin, which means “hello” in Ojibwe, will temporarily open at the Eaton Centre to sell products from various Indigenous-owned brands.
“This store is all about celebrating Indigenous creativity, and we’ve made supporting our community easier than ever in a way that’s powerful, accessible, and inclusive,” Chelsea Pettit, founder of aanin, said in an announcement on Instagram.
The 6,500-sq. ft. store is set to open on Black Friday (Nov. 29) until Dec. 31 and will feature curated collections of apparel, jewellery, accessories, and wellness products, from 40 brands across Turtle Island.
READ MORE: https://nowtoronto.com/lifestyle/toronto-department-store-concept-that-features-indigenous-artists-and-vendors/
Some of the brands that will be sold include makeup brand Cheekbone Beauty, and a blanket and accessories brand called Mini Tipi.
aaniin was founded in 2021 by the Anishinaabe entrepreneur of Aamjiwnaang First Nation, whose goal is to make “Indigenous symbols and languages visible proudly 365 days a year.”
“By purchasing our apparel, you are giving us the chance to bootstrap our business,” aaniin says on its website. “We believe in education and in showing the world that Indigenous culture is alive, woven into Canadian society, and never to be confined in history books.”
The pop-up will live on the second floor of the Eaton Centre.
