After closing up its Columbia Street store last month, The Shop Vancouver is getting ready for a new chapter on Cordova Street.
The Shop Vancouver has been around for almost 11 years but owner TJ Schneider admits they're kind of a niche insider menswear store. "If you don't know about this stuff, you really wouldn't know about us," he tells V.I.A. over the phone while packing orders.
The brand, which is run entirely by him, focuses primarily on leather and denim apparel inspired by motorcycle culture of the 1950s, 60s, and 70s-- "the early Marlon Brando, Steve McQueen era," he explains.
Schneider says back then, clothing was more thoughtful as opposed to the fast fashion we see today. He describes the store's vibe as "hyper-focused and niche" with an emphasis on quality.
The products have caught the eye of high-profile celebrities including Jason Momoa who recently had a custom jacket made.
"We've made him a few jackets," says Schneider. "This is just a really special, super, flashy one. He's not afraid of some flash and stuff, which is really cool."
The new store, at 88 E Cordova St, is going to be a "bigger cleaner version" of their Columbia space which they outgrew.
Schneider recalls having to move everything out of the way inside his previous 660-square-foot location in order to operate. He also didn't feel like the old store gave people the right idea about what their product was. "People thought we were more thrifty, more fast fashion type stuff," he explains.
The new space will make presentations more accessible, especially for people who may not be familiar with the brand.
Schneider is also excited to be joining the company of other stores along Cordova that he thinks are doing similar things in the city such as Haven, Roden Gray, and Neighbour.
"We all kind of have our little hyper-focus niche," he says. "We don't really have crossover but it'd be nice being close to them just because we're sort of in the same world."
The new store is hoping to open on March 1, and Schneider assures, "it's going to be amazing." The new addition to Gastown means the area is well on its way to becoming a menswear district.
