who's your girl?

Karen’s dream started over 30 years ago when she was studying fashion at Ryerson. A professor asked her to imagine a store she would want to open. That’s when the first little bits of her lifelong dream started to bloom. A heritage space .. high ceilings .. old wood floors .. a mix of repurposed fixtures .. a blue ‘sky’ ceiling .. filled with things she loved. A couple short years later, in 1994, her dream came to life .. when she opened her first store .. Family Gathering .. a baby & children's clothing store .. where they made almost everything themselves. We have evolved a little bit (ok .. a lot) over the past 30 years .. to a shop known for handpicking a unique collection of things .. things to make you happy .. that you don't find everywhere else. I truly believe there are good things to be found from all over the world .. but I do have a huge love for local and Canadian made. I love supporting local small businesses. From carrying numerous maker items in our shop .. to being one of the first businesses in our area to host maker markets inside our store. I am so happy to have helped promote numerous artisans .. and to see some grow into stores of their own. Shop local has never been a trend for me .. it’s always just been a feel good thing to me. I’ve been happily and thankfully living my dream for over 30 years .. with both my incredible husband Mr Gather and my amazing Gather team by my side .. and if I had to simply sum up my ultimate goal for Gather .. it would be .. I just really want everyone to be happy!!!