Made You Look 1338 Queen West, 416-463-2136, www.madeyoulook.ca Rating: NNNNN
School’s out for summer, and a new batch of jewellery school grads are adding their names to the waiting list for one of Made You Look’s coveted bauble studio spots. Owner Sarah Dougall brainstormed the Parkdale shop’s retail/workspace collective idea as part of a small business class at George Brown College. Her classmates begged her to make it real, and five years later, three of them still rent space on the 12 workbenches behind the store.
Made You Look’s in-house designers focus on metalwork, but the 50 jewellers who show their bracelets, rings, necklaces and earrings in individual storefront curio cabinets incorporate glass, stone, fabric, resin and wood into their designs. All juried gallery’s artists live in Toronto.
Shoppers quickly adopt a favourite designer. “Jewellery is a necessity” is the store’s philosophy, and customers buy into it with unique sparkly purchases.
Dougall’s picks: Aimee Kennedy ‘s curlicued glass flower brooch is pretty in pink, $69 Kim Drosdick ‘s silver ring has a faux-tension setting for a diamond-in-the-rough, $425 naked necks get wrapped in Knotty Girls ‘ stitched ribbon tie, $45.
Look for: Asian-inspired pieces by Made You Look’s George Brown Entrepreneurial Award winner Sadraca Choi , and careful repairs for any trinket wears and tears.
Hours: Monday to Wednesday and Saturday 10 am to 6 pm, Thursday and Friday 10 am to 9 pm, Sunday noon to 5 pm.
