Aaniin’s holiday pop-up at The Eaton Centre celebrates Indigenous craftsmanship and storytelling offering authentic, feel-good gifts from over 45 vendors until the end of December

By Gillian Jane McGregor

Located on the second floor of the Eaton Centre with a view of the 114-foot Christmas tree, a retailer brimming with bright red walls and bustling with energy welcomes shoppers to Canada’s first Indigenous department store pop-up. If your holiday shopping list is missing authentic, unique, feel-good gifts, Aaniin’s 45 Indigenous vendors might just be your final stop. 

Founded by Chelsee Petitt in June 2021, aaniin — meaning hello in Ojibwe — emerged from downtown Tkaronto with a mission to spotlight Indigenous languages and syllabics through fashion. Three years later, aaniin is a well-known Toronto brand, made up of the in-house name-sake brand as well as platforming other Indigenous entrepreneurs. 

This holiday season, aaniin’s pop-up is Petitt’s latest showcase of the brand, running at the Eaton Centre from Nov. 29 to Dec. 31. The store’s land acknowledgment and sponsor wall display the words “Chi Miigwech,” meaning ‘big thank you,’ a sentiment that resonates with the entirety of the space and community the brand has created. 

“The people who come in here are so nice. I haven’t had a bad experience with anyone so far. There’s a good energy here and a sense of community” says aaniin employee, Sofia Labuschagne.

Putting it all together

Petitt got the keys for the store on Nov. 21 — a week before Black Friday and their opening day. Petitt and her dad got to work moving everything into the store, figuring out delivery delays while perfecting the bright red, white and black store design. 

As you walk around the large retail space, you’ll be led through the vendors on a path of floor vinyl stating This is Native land and This is also Native land all the way through to This is all Native land. The store is also decorated with a vendor’s “aaniin” rug, an Instagram-worthy photo booth, with authentic Indigenous sayings and syllabics displayed throughout the space. 

“A lot of people who come by would have never even had an opportunity to experience things like this, whether it be seeing syllabics for the first time or just being introduced to new brands and creators,” says one retail employee, Kay. The employees themselves are easily identifiable for help, wearing red shirts that don greetings like the Cree word “Tansi” or “cama-i” in Alutiiq.   

Notable in-store brands include Anishinaabe designer Lesley Hampton, Indigenous-rooted makeup brand Cheekbone Beauty, Moccasin Joe Coffee Roasters and more. Each vendor is chosen personally by Petitt to reflect the celebration of support and reclamation of Indigenous roots. 

Building community

One way Petitt does this is through Indigenous Business Development Days with Shopify in Toronto. So far, Petitt and Shopify have put on three events in which Indigenous entrepreneurs come together to connect with others and learn about branding, sales, marketing and accounting.  These events foster conversations surrounding business and have connected aaniin with many of its vendors. 

“Once they’re part of the ecosystem, then it’s a little bit easier to start having more professional conversations that some people don’t always feel good about, because of a lot of trauma in our community,” Petitt says. “So I think it is more relationship-based as opposed to specific numbers or products or brand-hypability.” 

One of these entrepreneurs is Jacquie, the woman behind Mino Ode Designs, who met Petitt at one of these events, leading to her pottery being sold with aaniin.

“Chelsee is really contributing to the Indigenous community by bringing people together in both venues,” Jacquie says. “To have such a concentration [of Indigenous creators] right in the heart of Toronto and to be altogether selling like that, I give Chelsee a lot of credit for her vision and her hard work.”

Pottery with ‘good heart’

Mino Ode Designs is a beadwork and pottery brand, whose pieces are selling fast in-store. The name is part of the Indigenous name Jacquie’s father gave her: “Mino Ode Kwe” meaning “Good Heart Woman.” Jacquie’s pottery is one-of-a-kind handmade pieces filled with symbolism and care. Jacquie’s pottery largely reflects her journey of reconnecting with her Indigenous father and roots. 

“He started to teach us about our Anishinabe culture and that’s when I started to learn beadwork,” Jacquie says. “I figured out with the help of my teacher, how to paint some of my beadwork patterns on my pottery — that was the melding of pottery and beadwork for me.”

The collection, some of which are made specially for aaniin, showcases Jacquie’s beadwork, 3D-crafted flowers and an array of colourful strawberries. 

While the pieces themselves are a beautiful gift, Jacquie also donates profits to a multitude of organizations in need to offset the consumerism mindset that the holidays can conjure. “I don’t want for my small business [to] get caught up in that, I want to contribute to people’s lives,” Jacquie says. 

Some of the organizations Jacquie works with include Out of The Cold program —  offering food, shelter and other basic needs to society — and Abbey House, a shelter for Indigenous women in Niagara, Ont. 

This season, Mino Ode Designs and other offerings at aaniin provide a platform for Indigenous craftsmanship and storytelling from a multitude of communities. Beyond offering unique, handcrafted items, the space radiates a sense of connection and Indigenous pride. From pottery work that tells Indigenous stories to clothing that celebrates Indigenous languages, aaniin is a work of community and culture this holiday season.

“Every journey is good for specific reasons, so I’m glad that we still did [Stackt]. But in terms of the growth of the company, sometimes you pigeonhole yourself. It’s better to plan for bigger things as opposed to making things work” says Petitt.