Workshop Studio & Boutique

About

Handmade clothing, accessories, housewares, gifts & more by women
from Ottawa & across Canada.

Story

Workshop Boutique opened its doors amidst quite a bit of chaos at the end of April 2005. We had a great opening party, then we closed the shop the following day to get our tax returns done! It was a classic Bridget and Christina beginning.

It all really started about a year or so before that, when we met, happily hanging out in the middle of the night in a very long line up waiting for a table to sell our collections at the Byward Market on Canada Day. The day turned out pretty badly: there was a huge thunderstorm, we were soaked, and our tents traveled through the air. Some of our handmade pieces even made their way down the street with the floodwaters and into the City of Ottawa’s drainage system, where we think they still are, happily living in the mud. That day will always remain for us the day that set us on a path together.

We were both independent women designers who wanted to live and do our thing in Ottawa, a city not traditionally known for fashion. We wanted an outlet to sell our creations. We also wanted a place where we could spend our money according to our ideals. A place where you couldn’t go wrong: where everything was handmade, local, sustainable, made by women, fair trade or a combination of those things. And it also had to be crafty, unique and work with our personal style. We wanted a shop full to the rafters of things that make us smile, things that are fun and functional, and things that make us want to rip them off the mannequins, run into the change room, put them on, and take them home with us.

So, we decided to create that place. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

Christina & Bridget