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Ottawa brands benefit from Stacktx concept in the ByWard Market

August 30, 2024

Three local businesses have benefited to date from the Stacktx entrepreneurship program, which features pop-up shops housed in shipping containers in the ByWard Market.

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Three local businesses have benefited to date from the Stacktx entrepreneurship program, which features pop-up shops housed in shipping containers in the ByWard Market. Stackt is a marketplace concept launched in Toronto in 2019 that is based on a modular, moveable design made of shipping containers. The Stackt model offers small business owners an affordable “testing ground” to experiment with a physical storefront or new concepts. Since 2019, Stackt has worked with more than 3,000 business owners. Stackt shipping containers, designed by Ottawa-Toronto architecture firm DS Studio, began popping up in more Canadian cities, including Ottawa, earlier this summer, thanks to the company’s small business accelerator program, Stacktx. Designed to support small businesses and connect entrepreneurs with networks and resources across the country, Stacktx has developed a grant program that allows selected businesses to inhabit a shipping container storefront free of charge for a month. Ottawa business Saint Lyon set up shop in the shipping container in mid-August and will be finishing its residency in a few weeks. The Black-owned athleisure brand makes contributions to environmental causes and a variety of charities with each purchase, making it an excellent fit for the Stacktx entrepreneur program, said Matt Rubinoff, founder of Stackt. Elom Tsiagbey, co-founder of Saint Lyon, said the project allows his business to try out a storefront before the online store commits to growth. And so far, the pop-up has been the “perfect scenario” for Tsiagbey and his co-founder, Abigail Boadi. “This has been perfect for actually trying it out. We were always nervous about doing brick-and-mortar and diving fully in,” Tsiagbey told OBJ. “This way, we can try it out and see how things are going. And so far, so good. “We’re about halfway through and we think (a storefront) might be something we want to do.”

Elom Tsiagbey, co-founder of Saint Lyon, said the STACKTx has been the “perfect scenario." Photo provided.

Saint Lyon launched as an online store selling Ottawa-designed athleisure wear in December 2019. The brand is committed to “giving back” through various charities and organizations and ensuring the clothing is manufactured ethically and sustainably. And while Saint Lyon relies on temporary pop-up shops throughout the summer, the Stacktx shop has provided a more long-term opportunity. “For the kind of products that we have, people want to come and feel the fabrics and the fit and the style, it just always makes sense to have a brick-and-mortar,” said Tsiagbey. “We’ve had more growth in our sales just because it's easy for people to come try it out and test the quality.” In addition to sales, Saint Lyon has also seen hundreds of new social media followers, Tsiagbey said, and more brand awareness, with people reaching out for future collaborations and media outlets providing coverage of the emerging brand. “These are things that are organic interactions that we probably wouldn't have gotten otherwise,” he explained.

Saint Lyon is a black-owned online athleisure wear shop based in Ottawa. Photo provided.

The Stacktx project launched in June with The Gift Shop, a pop-up project that provides retail space to sell artwork and serves as a hub for performing arts, all to support artists from marginalized communities. Rubinoff said these first few months have been a “great success” and are setting the stage for even more entrepreneurial growth out of the modular Ottawa pop-up. “We received positive feedback from the community who have shown a genuine interest in the space, impressed with how we are giving back to the small business community and showing excitement that a new and innovative concept has landed in Ottawa,” Rubinoff told OBJ. Following the month-long residency, The Gift Shop founder Imani Busby saw increased brand awareness, high foot traffic, valuable media coverage, strong event and workshop attendance/ticket sales, a significant increase in social media following, and strong sales of artists artwork, “all driving additional support for 64 QTBIPOC artists,” Rubinoff added. July brought The Thrifted Mini, an Ottawa consignment store for children’s clothes with a storefront on Merivale Road, into the Market. The future of Stacktx in Ottawa is exciting, Rubinoff said, explaining that the grant recipients have been seeing “great value” from the program, from increased brand awareness and a rise in sales to the many resources provided by Stacktx. The program is committed to supporting 12 small businesses through the program over the next year, not just in Ottawa, but across the country. “Through Stacktx we will continue to provide members with free and valuable resources that will help them succeed,” said Rubinoff. “But in Ottawa, our goal is set on growing our presence within the Market and offering more innovative physical retail and community space for small businesses and the community at large.”