The City of Toronto has awarded STACKT Market a 10-year lease extension at its Bathurst Street location.
The popular marketplace has hosted over 3,000 businesses since its inception in 2019 and is currently home to a plethora of amenities geared towards leisure, including shops, bars, food stalls, outdoor public space, temporary sports facilities, pop-up festivals and more.
STACKT is made up of 120 shipping containers and has welcomed over five million visitors at its Toronto location since it opened, created over 10,000 jobs, and hosted over 1,800 events.
Its Toronto flagship was supposed to be a temporary project, “Now, we can formally call 28 Bathurst St. our home,” it said in an Instagram post.
“STACKT market brings together business, the arts and community in a way that enhances the vibrancy of our downtown,” Deputy Mayor Ausma Mailk also said in the press release.
“By providing a platform for local businesses and artisans, welcoming neighbours and visitors alike, STACKT market enriches our neighbourhood and serves as a model for sustainable and community-oriented development that is now being expanded across Canada,” she continued.
In addition to the lease extension, on Wednesday, STACKT revealed plans to open new, temporary markets in Ottawa, Calgary and Vancouver as part of its STACKTˣ initiative, designed to bolster small businesses.
It will open its Ottawa expansion in the ByWard Market on June 13, with dates for Calgary and Vancouver yet to be confirmed.
“These prime retail locations will support over 11,000 businesses across Canada in the first year,” the company said in a press release on Wednesday.
STACKT will be awarding more than 48 grants across all their new pop-up locations, each offering a free one-month lease.
The shipping container market was designed by LGA Architectural partners Janna Levitt and Danny Bartman with Stackt Market founder Matt Rubinoff and inhabits a 2.4-acre plot equating roughly to two city blocks.
This month, STACKT is hosting puppy yoga, a supergoop pop-up, an array of Pride celebrations, a DJ Day party, drag shows, and more.
To learn more about STACKT, click here.
