Meet "Bata Shoe Museum"

Since we were kids, we used to love to go to Bata to get our shoes, especially before Christmas and Easter, and we grew up and this brand remained a mark in the shoemaking world.

And moving here, and while walking on Bloor Street, I noticed a beautiful building, and was surprised to know that it's a shoes museum, Bata shoe Museum.. So I was very curious to see it up close and personal.

So I walked in, got my ticket and started discovering this four floor museum with a collection of Hundreds of shoes (from a collection numbering over 10,000) and lots of history.

The Museum celebrates the style and function of footwear in four impressive galleries. Footwear on display ranges from Chinese bound foot shoes and ancient Egyptian sandals to chestnut-crushing clogs and glamourous platforms. Over 4,500 years of history and a collection of 20th-century celebrity shoes are reflected in the semi-permanent exhibition, All About Shoes. Three other galleries feature changing exhibitions, so there's always something new to see, and the exhibition now is "Out of the Box: The Rise of Sneakers Culture"

The exhibition explores the history of the sneaker from the 19th century through to today. It showcases the history of sneaker culture and features over 120 sneakers representing the past 150 years.

Rare sneakers from the archives of adidas, Nike, Reebok, PUMA, and Converse... The exhibition also includes the latest designs from fashion designers, including Christian Louboutin, Pierre Hardy, Lanvin and Prada, as well as exceptional limited editions such as the Nike Dunk Supremes and LeBron James Stewies.

The exhibition was designed by the famous industrial designer Karim Rashid, and the exhibit’s look is very modern in style and vibe with blasts of colour against the predominantly white environment.

Wish they had more space to be able to exhibit more shoes because you leave and you ask yourself "did I see enough shoes? Can they squeeze the spaces to fit a lot more from the huge collection they have?"

But still it was very interesting to check the museum and will be definitely looking for their next exhibitions.

Meet "Diana"

Couple of weeks back, my friend Ashraf asked me if I'm willing to volunteer and help with some creative work, so my answer was positive and he arranged a meeting with Diana Khong, who is the Marketing and Community Manager at Inside Out, who organizes the Toronto LGBT Film Festival, that takes place in May at TIFF | Bell Lightbox.

We had to postpone the meeting couple of times between my trip to Montreal and then Beirut, but finally we met at the cafeteria of Richmond 401, where their office is.

I didn't know at the beginning what was expected from me, or what will be the scope of work, but it was very simple, Diana needed to hear a different creative opinion, get a different point of view to decide how to move forward with the materials they are preparing for the next festival..

Diana was extremely thankful, and I assured her that I can help with more if needed.
After a long chat about the festival, the creative campaign and a nice tea, I left happy with yet another great person I meet, and getting to know more about another cultural event that happen in Toronto.

Meet "Spencer"

After I looked for furniture and made up my mind and booked delivery dates from couple of furniture stores, it was time to look for some home appliances, household and decorative items.. so my friend Jean Francois asked me to go and have a look at Umbra and gave me the address of their only store in a Toronto at 165 John Street..

So I went without even looking at their website to know what to expect, and was looking forward as my friend told me they have very cool stuff..

Once I stepped there, I felt I'm in toy store, and every single item is nice for the kitchen, bathroom, bedroom and has a modern design twist.. And the staff working there, they were extremely nice, welcoming and helpful, they didn't mind me taking photos and helped me pick some items..

Spencer was at the cashier, smiling, serving costumers, and when I told him about my blog he was excited and didn't mind at all taking a picture with me and wanted me to tell him when I publish the post..

 And when I started checking more about Umbra knew how they have grown to become the world leader of modern, original, casual and affordable design for the home and the story of the how Umbra was born is amazing.. It happened over 30 years ago when a graphic designer by the name of Paul Rowan couldn't find a nice window shade to hang in his new apartment window. So, he made one. And others liked it! And later he teamed up with friend Les Mandelbaum...and Umbra was born.

I bought lots of stuff, even some items that I didn't really need but was in love with that store, and for sure they have a new fan and a costumer that will keep repeating visits..

Check their website umbra.com and let me know if u agree with me.