Can you describe The Modern Shop?
Modern Shop is a modern design store in Ottawa Canada, that specializes in products that you can’t get anywhere else. We are proud that the things we carry, can't be found in other stores in Ottawa, and very few stores in Canada. [Note: Many brands they stock are ONLY available through Modern Shop in Canada!]
How did Modern Shop start?
I had a store that sold vintage furniture called Found Design. Then wanted a change and I started a new store called Modern Lighting. People kept asking for other things inside the home, so after three or four months changed the name to Modern Shop.
Then moved locations from Bank St. in Old Ottawa South, to Sussex Drive in the Byward Market?
Yes, well we were not getting the foot traffic we wanted, so moved to Sussex and George in Spring 2013 and love it.
What are some of the brands that you currently carry?
There are over 80 brands that we sell now, and some that are more familiar would be Moooi, Modernica, Norman Copenhagen, Hay Denmark, Foscarini, Muuto, and it goes on.
How do you keep finding new and unique things for the shop?
Well we travel quite a bit, especially for trade shows, was in Stockholm two years ago, Milan last year, Paris this year, plus New York City every year. This gives me the ability to see the up and coming guys that no one gets to really see, then you start to get a feeling for who is going to make it or not. I also will grab brands that no one has heard of, some of them are a hit, some are a miss.
What is your favorite product that you carry?