Melissa De Luca

The Spot on Queen, a new artistically-driven “go-to” destination in Toronto opened its doors Friday.

The idea for this new market sparked after Melissa De Luca and her partner, Brett, realized how hard it is to gain exposure as an artist in Toronto.

“We started The Spot just mainly out of our own frustrations because we felt like something needed to be done,” she said.

The couple figured that if they start their own market, they would be able to provide the opportunity they wish they had for fellow artisans and entrepreneurs to gain exposure.

According to De Luca, Toronto is known for some of its bigger art shows, however doesn’t offer many outlets for emerging artisans. 

“If you don’t get into those shows it’s really hard to get a lot of exposure, plus they’re really hard to get into,” said De Luca. “The Spot is more of an intimate market.” 

The Spot houses 10 vendors a week at an affordable price. 

“Our main philosophy is to keep the rental spaces low and fair for new and up-and-coming entrepreneurs and artisans,” she said. “Our goal was to give the public somewhere they can go every weekend– see, shop and meet different designers.”

 Both De Luca and her partner are making very little money off the venture. 

“[That’s why] the rent is so low,” she said, “Vendor [fees] are just covering the rent.”

So far, De Luca said the vendors are being very optimistic about the opportunity. 

“When we hear that the vendors are super excited, we know they’re going to bring that positive energy when the public comes in,” she said. “Even at the end of the day, if an artist doesn’t sell anything but 50 people came in and got their contact information, then it was worth it.”

De Luca said The Spot is currently fully booked for the summer, but has a wait list in place. 

There will be an assortment of vendors each week, ranging from jewelry designers to household items, to recycled vintage goods.

The Spot is located at 627 Queen Street, and will be open every Friday through Sunday until August between 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.

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