Member of the Month – ARTiculations Art Supply
2928 Dundas Street West, 416-901-7464
Heather moved to the Junction in 2007, falling in love with the small-town feel of the neighbourhood. Before the idea for ARTiculations came to life, Heather worked at West Toronto Paint & Wallpaper. While working there, she shared a studio with her friend and collaborator, Miki Rubin, and had been dreaming of combining a studio and gallery space. At the same time, Heather curated a portable gallery that exhibited work by Toronto artists. As artists living and working in the Junction, Heather and Miki recognized a need for an art supply store. Also reaffirmed when people in the neighbourhood would come into West Toronto Paint looking for art materials. Eventually, Heather thought, “why can’t we do this ourselves?”
The plan for ARTiculations began on January 1st, 2011, with a focus on creating opportunities for daily creativity through a three-pronged approach; Art Supply Shop, Gallery and Studio. The pair worked with Futurpreneur to get the ball rolling and find guidance in developing a business plan and learning the steps required to launch their business. ARTiculations opened its doors on December 1st, 2011.
Plenty has changed since then, but the warm energy and customer service has not. ARTiculations remains an independently owned and operated community hub offering quality art supplies and services to artists and creative explorers of all ages. They are passionate about the power of creativity and its potential for personal transformation. Heather is now the sole proprietor of ARTiculations, but you could call her dog Charlie and her excellent staff her right-hand. This cozy shop has come a long way since it’s 2015 “Cardboard Carnival” at the Summer Solstice Festival, and its many years of the Fill’er Up Sketchbook Challenge. We can expect many more years of artistic inspiration with their tenth anniversary coming next year.
Riley Wiley, Journalism Intern, The Junction BIA
Member of the Month
The NEW Member of the Month features will shine a light on the businesses within the Junction and allow customers to get to know their neighbours who run the shops in our community. If you are a Junction BIA business interested in sharing your story with Journalism Intern Riley and being featured by The Junction BIA, contact Carol Jolly, Executive Director.
