How did you…open a concept store?
Talking to the duo behind Baa Baazaar, Toronto's most whimsical shop
Welcome to all my new subs! I got quite a few this week, so I want to let you know that if you found me via this fashion story, which has been quite popular, and you’re here for more fashion content, stay tuned for next week—I have a super fun style story planned.
I’m always intrigued by people (women, mostly) who start a business on their own. And I always have the same question: But wait—how did you do that? I want to know it all. Every little part. How did you…know what to do and where to start? Have the confidence to give it a whirl? Have the funds for it? Make it into something great? So I’m starting a little series over here on Curious Chat aptly called “How Did You Do That?” where I ask women how they launched a company.
First up is Nicole Elasser and Sophia Pierro, who founded the vintage-inspired concept store Baa Baazaar in Toronto. A place for maximalists and those who love to gift imaginative home goods, Baa Baazaar is a store I wish I had nearby when I lived in the city many moons ago. I sprinkled my shoebox apartment with attention-grabbing little things like wonky candlesticks, floral dishes, and weird globetrotting trinkets, because I loved how cozy and quirky gadgets and gizmos a-plenty could make a space feel. And that’s what’s drawn me to Baa Baazaar.
The store will lure you in with its shamrock green facade, striped awning, and logo in vintage-style typeface. To enter, you’ll walk down a few steps into what feels like a cozy cottage in Wonderland, with shelves and tables stacked with whimsical goodies for you and every room in your home—think mint green dishes, cake-shaped candles, and chunky mustard yellow socks. Surrounding it all is a sky-blue backdrop, floors the colour of Monica and Rachel’s walls, and a mural you’ll get lost in.
I chatted with Nicole and Sophia about how they started their shop, created a brand, and unexpectedly built a community of like-minded women.
First things first: How did you come up with the idea for Baa Baazaar?
Nicole: I started Baa Baazaar as an inspirational Instagram account. It’s where I’d post interior inspiration, or carousels of cool products, like quilts. Slowly, I started getting followers who were interested in connecting and talking about this vintage maximalism aesthetic. Meanwhile, Sophia and I had talked about doing a store of some sort. We’d met through a mutual friend and bonded over a shared interest in maximalism.
Eventually it became clear that the voice of Baa Baazaar was so resonant that it would easily translate from an Instagram account that highlighted fun products into a store that's actually selling them. So on one cold winter's night, we decided that’s what we’d do. We opened our first location in September 2022.
What are your backgrounds in? Like, how did you know how to source pieces and reach out to wholesalers?
Sophia: I had a business called Present Day, a gift basket company, which Nicole had been working with me on. So I knew the basics of running a business. I also worked in film, in set decoration, and one of my jobs there was sourcing products. Nicole has a background in luxury retail and fashion buying. So together we knew how wholesaling products generally worked.
How did you get started? How did you finance your inventory?
Sophia: We aren't personally wealthy—we were just able to be scrappy! My first business, Present Day, did quite well, so we were able to borrow against that. The pandemic was not hard on gift box companies. It was a time we call the gift box boom. Many companies, instead of having parties, would send gift boxes to employees. When people couldn’t visit a relative on their birthday, they’d send a gift box. We experienced a high degree of sales in a really short period of time, so we were able to use some of that capital to fund Baa Baaaar, and we’ve already paid that back.
Nicole: It's hard to imagine how you might start a business because the store design, products for the store, people to work in the store—it all costs a lot of money. And business loans are not that easy to get. Business grants in Ontario are not that easy to get. So it wouldn't have been possible for us to launch the store in the scale that we did without the success of the gift box company.
What factors did you consider when selecting the items to sell?
Nicole: We wanted pieces that no one in Toronto carries. Most of our products are contemporary ones that have a vintage sensibility or are made using traditional crafting methods. We approach our store like it’s a home, so we have pantry items, apothecary-like bathroom pieces, and fashion items. Everything we carry must have something about it that feels a bit magical.
You just reopened at a new location—before we get to that, what was your first store like?
Sophia: We had a month-to-month holdover lease from the gift basket business, so we tested out Baa Baazaar as just a pop-up shop in that space. We wanted to see if people would be interested in it. The response was so positive that we kept it going.
Design is such an important element of your shop—do you have a stylist or how did you design and style your spaces?
Nicole: We make all decisions about colour about the curation of the products together. But because Sophia used to work in set design, she was really comfy with setting up spaces. Sophia is really good at translating the brand aesthetic into a physical space.
Now, tell me about your wonderful new location!
Sophia: We found this place, a semi-basement in Roncesvalles, that spoke to us, so we decided to put in some roots. We did a whole storefront and made interior touches, like a mural, that we didn’t have in the other locations.
Nicole: The way that we do things is very DIY. It means we have an emotional attachment to every single component in our store. Like, we have an upside down set of mannequin legs that we use to display our tights, and that’s become a thing that people love taking pictures of. Our store is very playful—we were willing to be a little bit silly, a little bit weird—and that's what resonates with people. We like to have little moments of surprise and delight.
What are some of your favourite products in the shop?
Sophia: One of the lines we carry that's a big deal is East Fork Pottery. It was founded by Henri Matisse’s great-grandson, and it has super handsome dishes with glazes that are tonal and attractive. We’re the first in Canada to sell it! We had to convince the company for a long time that we had a really receptive market here in Toronto.
Nicole: We also carry these soaps from Austria made with sheep's milk—we have a very sheep-forward aesthetic! They come in lovely shapes, like sheep and cherubs.
You recently threw this amazing opening party where all your guests were dressed on theme and you had a pink fondue fountain, it seemed?
Nicole: They wore themed outfits without us even asking for it! There was a lot of tulle and cheek blush, and someone wore a quilted coat.
Sophia: There were many Simone Rocha-inspired looks. People were dressed in a very romantic style that wasn’t overwhelming or cheesy; Big and frilly but restrained. The pink fondue set was a vintage-looking chocolate fountain that we put pink white chocolate into, and had a bunch of little foods you could pop into.
Did you expect such an enthusiastic turn-out?
Sophia: We dreamed of having a space like The Shop Around the Corner in You’ve Got Mail, primarily because it had a real community—it had the feel that we wanted. Now, our shop has turned into this hub for local people to come to, chat with us and geek out on the things that we love.
Nicole: When we were in the middle of our party, we looked at each other and we were like this is crazy. We made a community, which is truly hard to do in Toronto these days.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Until next Sunday,
Renée
Hey, can you add the contact details for the shop? Looks right up my alley!! xoS.
This is so fun! "Pastoral whimsy" - such a vibe. I love finding places in Canada to add to my must-visit list. Great interview, thanks for sharing. xx