Kol Kid

Lisa Miyasaki knows Queen West well. She opened Kol Kid, a children’s boutique, in 1999 and since then has seen the area undergo numerous revivals before becoming an eclectic collection of shops and eateries.

“The reaction I would get was, ‘this is a really odd location for a kid’s store,’” Lisa recalls. “So it’s ironic because now it seems to fit with the neighbourhood quite well,” she laughs.

Kol Kid has a longstanding history on the strip of being the trendsetter for toys, clothes, décor and everything else kid related.

“We get new things in every day,” Lisa points out, “and that new thing becomes the ‘it thing’ for the next few months.”