Balisi Part 2

LIZ: A lot of the products that Balisi stocks are from Europe, they have“euro flair”, does Balisi carry local Canadian brands, and how important do you think it is to stock local products as well as international ones?

DALE: The owners are Canadian themselves and they definitely offer Canadian brands. We carry hats from Ophelia out of Montreal, Phillip Sparks based out of Toronto. We try and bring in Canadian merchandise to really showcase the talents here in Canada.

LIZ: What is the process of buying for the stores, do the buyers follow trends, do they stock what they like, or a bit of both?

DALE: The buyers are Cory and Rehlee; they are the masters behind the brand. They are very up on the trends; most recently we had the current collection as an inspiration of the Gossip Girl scene, so that New York, Manhattan socialite, brought to Canadian fashion. Our clientele are looking for something that allows them to feel in touch with their younger side. Everything we offer has great shape, structure and clean lines for the customer, but also allows them to have that individuality to go along with it. We typically bring in one of each size of everything we have. So once an item is gone, it’s gone. Because we only have three stores in Toronto the odds of running into someone with the same outfit are slim so in essence we are a creating an original, unique one of a kind experience.

LIZ: Who is the ideal Balisi client?

DALE: I don’t think there is an ideal client for Balisi because we get any and everyone, we cater to everyone. I would say it’s the fashion hungry people that really want to feel special.

LIZ: Balisi was first conceptualized as a footwear store, when did the accessories i.e.: handbags and jewellery become apart of the store’s vision?
DALE: The handbags started on College Street and a lot of the clothing and accessories themselves started when we opened the Queen Street location. It’s been an ever evolving process of different things coming in. I think that people want to shop at one store get their entire outfit from head to toe and create their own unique style.