This Ain't No Shopping Mall Kids

If you don't understand the value or charm of independent retailers then I especially hope that you will take a moment to read this post. I mentioned my trips to Kensington Market as a pre-teen in this post here from a few weeks back. The main purpose of these trips was to visit Courage My love. Last Sunday MFS, Her friend and I arrived too late after a meal nearby. MFS stared at the Hours sign in disbelief I told her over and over that that the shop was in fact closed and it was after all a Sunday so what could we expect? Then a man approached the doors (now padlocked). He asked us what we needed. MFS told him that she needed some buttons and produced the dress that she had been carrying around with her all day. He opened the doors to all three of us. Once inside this man (who I later discovered is the owner Stewart Scriver) was absolutely in no hurry to rush us and even regaled us with tales of his world travels. Some were Sad, like Afghanistan (before it was destroyed) and others were funny like the time he found himself nearly arrested by an Uzbek police woman after accidentaly encroaching upon a restricted zone (something to do with a nuclear accident).

So MFS got her buttons. Her friend and I bought some beautiful beads with history (see below) and all three of us got something more than just a trip to a shop.

Try that at your local shopping mall.

Qing dynasty Beads found in a warehouse in Burma. After hearing their story we had to buy some.

Courage My Love
14 Kensington Ave.
Toronto,Ontario
T:(416) 979-1992
HOURS
M-F 11:30-6pm
Saturday 11-6pm
Sunday 11-5pm

Fur Muffs

 This is me practicing some street style photography on MFS. Now that I have my Moo cards (more on that later)  hopefully I will have the balls to start asking strangers if I can photograph their outfits.