Kanye West fans heading to the Saint Pablo Tour at the ACC later this month can get a preview of the rappers tour merch in Toronto this weekend if they’re willing to wait in line for a long, long time. The Pablo Pop-Up Store at 12 Ossington is one of only 21 temporary brick-and-mortar shops around the world open August 19 to 21. Its also the only one in Canada.
Music-merch pop-ups are decidedly trendy. In May, Justin Bieber fans swarmed Queen West over two days to get their hands on some exclusive Purpose tour T-shirts. (The Biebs never showed up). Drake has also been opening pop-up shops in select cities while on his current tour. Its a chance for fans who might not have scored tickets to the concerts to snag a piece of the singers brand. Also, since merch at these pop-ups is limited and no one really knows whats inside beforehand, the whole experience feels quite exclusive and exciting.
Kanye fans, being Kanye fans, started forming a line at Ossington and Queen nearly 24 hours before the shop opened. When I arrived around 10 am, the line snaked north on Ossington and around the corner at Humbert. Every few minutes, a passing car would roll down its window with drivers wondering what everyone was waiting for. The TTC bus that runs along Ossington and numerous construction and garbage trucks would also periodically honk as they tried to pass parts of the crowd that overflowed into the street.
I waited with a friend, both of us baking in nearly 30-degree heat as the line inched just a few steps forward every half an hour. At one point, I ran over to a nearby Starbucks to load up on water to stay hydrated. There was a line of Yeezy fans there, too.
One of the first people to emerge from the shop was a young man dressed in all-black clothing and sneakers. He raised three shopping bags, victoriously, as the crowd around him cheered. People waiting in line asked him to show them his purchases. They asked him questions: Whats it like inside? What kind of stuff do they have? In between answering questions, he posed for photographs. He was like a hero perhaps Torontos biggest Yeezy fan. He had waited in line for 17 hours.
When I finally made it inside, I was handed a piece of paper at the door. On it were photographs with descriptions and prices of everything for sale. I was also given a black marker and told to circle the items I desired and write down the size and quantity I wanted.
Slightly delirious from what honestly couldve been early signs of heatstroke, I strode into the air-conditioned gallery space, with the sound of sales associates cooing Welcome on either side of me. The room was stark and rather empty. Only around 10 to 15 people are allowed into the store at a time, and there are around the same number of sales associates, all wearing bright orange T-shirts. This may be the closest Ive come to a personal-shopping experience.
A sample of every piece and size of clothing hangs on two walls. Im instructed not to touch the clothing (thats what the piece of paper is for), but staff are helpful in figuring out what size you should buy. The cheapest thing is a baseball cap, available in white or orange, with Toronto written in a V-shape. Theyre $55 each. T-shirts and long-sleeve tops range from $60 to $125. Theyre all screen-printed with Toronto on the front and a cheeky message, like We Young And We Alive or I Feel Like Pablo on the back.
If youre ready to throw down some serious cash (or credit they do accept credit cards), theres a black satin bomber jacket for $345 and a green camouflage-print jacket for $410. Both of them say PABLO four times down the back. They look really nice (I couldnt actually touch them to tell you about the quality), and at least two Kanye fans were buying jackets while I was in the room.
Once you decide what you want to buy, you hand over your piece of paper to one of the sales people. Youre guided to a cashier and they ring up your order while someone else in the back packs a large, clear shopping bag (also imprinted with PABLO four times) and hands it to you. No one rushes you out, and customers chill and hang out and snap selfies with a Toronto logo (the same one on the front of all the clothing) displayed on one wall.
As I emerged from the Pablo Pop-Up Shop back out into the sunshine, clutching my purchase and feeling bewildered by the amount of money I just spent on a cotton T-shirt, I hear the crowd in line cheer. Perhaps theyre just happy that Im leaving so they can have their chance inside. But at that moment, I feel like a hero. Is this how Kanye West feels all the time?
The Pablo Pop-Up Shop is open at 12 Ossington on August 19 to 21 from 10 am to 7 pm.
michelled@nowtoronto.com | @michdas
