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<\/a>\nBright hopes: Kania’s grand opening in November 2009.
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Today Bafi-Yeboa walks under a different spotlight. Through solo effort and self-education, she launched the clothing line Kania four years ago. The line focuses on feminine, street style clothing that women can feel comfortable in, and is available throughout Canada and as far away as Chicago. And in November 2009, she opened her first Ottawa boutique, likewise called Kania, on York Street.<\/p>\n
But Bafi-Yeboa isn\u2019t alone. She is an example of a new trend in the nation\u2019s capital: the resurgence of retail culture in the Byward Market. When it comes to fashion, there has been an increase in small, owner-operated fashion boutiques like Kania.<\/p>\n
A \u201cboutique\u201d refers to a small shopping outlet, particularly one that specializes in elite, quality items.<\/p>\n
\u201cBoutiques allow people to make sense of fashion,\u201d says Bafi-Yeboa. \u201cIt gives people a chance to pull different items from different areas.\u201d<\/p>\n
Byward Market: then and now<\/span><\/p>\n According to the Byward Market business improvement area, there are over 60 retailers in the Market that specialize in couture, fashion and clothing. And there are nearly 40 other shops that sell clothing as part of their merchandise.<\/p>\n The Byward Market \u2013 one of Canada\u2019s oldest and largest markets \u2013 is a district in Ottawa\u2019s downtown, bordered by Sussex Drive on the west and Cumberland Street on the east.<\/p>\n <\/a> Jasna Jennings, executive director of the Byward Market business improvement area, says the Market is trying to go back to its retail roots.<\/p>\n Established in 1826, the Market started out as a retail hub where consumers could purchase such staples as farm and food supplies, says Jennings.<\/p>\n However, she says, by the 1970s and into the early 1980s, the Market struggled due to a big shift of population from the urban core to the suburbs. Large shopping malls were subsequently built in the suburbs, and new shopping patterns developed.<\/p>\n \u201c[People] were slowly moving away from small, independent shops to the big one-stop grocery stores, instead of going to the butcher, baker,\u201d says Jennings.<\/p>\n As a result, an ailing Market turned to reclaiming nightlife as one solution. For some time, the Market has been recognized for its food and bar scene.<\/p>\n But in recent years, Jennings says, the Market is hoping to bring back smaller boutiques to add colour and variety to the area.<\/p>\n \u201cA mix is necessary for the vitality and prosperity of the Market,\u201d says Jennings.<\/p>\n And members of the local fashion scene say they want to be part of this retail resurgence.<\/p>\n ‘Ottawa’s Soho’<\/span><\/p>\n This emerging Market boutique culture has largely come to fruition on Dalhousie Street. The arrival of boutiques has transformed Dalhousie into what some nickname \u201cOttawa\u2019s Soho,\u201d offering a bohemian, New York-inspired atmosphere to its clientele.<\/p>\n ‘Boutiques allow people to make sense of fashion, to pull items from different areas.’ \u2013 owner-designer Stacey Bafi-Yeboa<\/p>\n Along Dalhousie Street, it is clear there are several fashion boutiques contributing to this movement, including Young Janes, Victoire and Workshop Studio + Boutique.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople have gotten used to different price points and getting something local, something that is unique. There\u2019s a real movement towards wanting products touched by the hands of artists, not from sweatshops,\u201d says Christina Ballhorn.<\/p>\n Ballhorn is a co-owner of Workshop Studio + Boutique, which opened its doors in 2005. The artist-owned boutique was originally meant to provide a space where Ballhorn and business partner Bridget Remai could sell their creations, as independent designers, and remain living in Ottawa.<\/p>\n The emergence of a Market boutique culture corresponds to a growing market demand for fair-trade quality items.\u00a0 Ballhorn says that her boutique focuses on products, hand-made by women, that are as local and as ethically-produced as possible.<\/p>\n Also there is the uniqueness factor. \u201cJust from what I\u2019ve seen, I think people are just tired of looking like everyone else. It\u2019s so easy to go somewhere and get something, and five other stores have it,\u201d says Bianca Wahab, a Kania employee.<\/p>\n Wahab, a graduate of Richard Robinson Fashion Academy on Sussex Drive, is a new designer hoping to provide unique items to Ottawa\u2019s fashion community. Along with working at Kania, she also registered her own company, Hartby, in June 2009. Hartby is a unique leather-accessories line of handbags, clutches, belts and similar items \u2013 all of which she custom makes herself.<\/p>\n Wahab says she\u2019s noticed that many people in Ottawa want custom items.\u00a0 \u201cPeople want quality things and different things. But they also want their money spent on the right things, standard pieces that will last.\u201d<\/p>\n Looking Fashion Forward<\/span><\/p>\n However, Jennings says, there are lingering concerns about the survival of retail in the Market, despite new stores consistently being encouraged to come set up shop there.<\/p>\n \u201cThe stores that we do have, well, we\u2019d be remiss to say that they\u2019re not in competition with big retailers,\u201d says Jennings.<\/p>\n This is especially true beyond the consumer who already shops in the Market and is willing to pay for unique products, says Jennings. For instance, local quality products mean more expensive price points compared to a big-boxed store, while downtown parking may also be considered a drawback by some.<\/p>\n \u201cTechnically, if you make something on your own, it\u2019s going to be higher priced than a big boxed store.\u00a0 So you need people who are going to purchase it,\u201d says Wahab.<\/p>\n Jennings also says restaurants generally pay more to rent space in the Market than a retail store would, because they make more revenue. As a result, owners of Market buildings are often more eager to draw restaurants as tenants.<\/p>\n But the fashion boutiques in the Market are looking to find ways around such challenges.<\/p>\n Ballhorn says the camaraderie shared among local designers and boutiques is critical, to try and grow fashion boutiques in the nation\u2019s capital.<\/p>\n \u201cThe way Ottawa is, I find most of the things that happen in terms of arts and culture, we have to band together and share resources,\u201d says Ballhorn.<\/p>\n Describing them as a \u201ctight bunch\u201d that work well together, Jennings says Dalhousie boutique owners have developed strategies such as annual Dalhousie Night around Christmastime, combined sales between stores and bringing in live entertainment.<\/p>\n In the meantime, changing perceptions of Ottawa\u2019s fashion personality will also be key to bringing in more independent boutiques in the Market, says Wahab.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s definitely years behind. But I think it\u2019s also because of people\u2019s interpretations of Ottawa. People have always seen it as lower. For so many years, it\u2019s always been Vancouver, Montreal, Toronto. I think more people need to start opening up to Ottawa,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n Related links<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/a>
\nCool and hot: Like other boutiques, Kania aims at a niche clientele.
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\n<\/a>Designer Bianca Wahab: “Just from what I\u2019ve seen, I think people are tired of looking like everyone else.”<\/p>\n<\/a>
\nInside Kania. Despite their charm, small boutiques in the Market face stiff competition from chain retail stores.<\/p>\n