18 Waits Store Series | En Riet

Music has always played a big role in our lives. We collect it, we play it, listen to it and see it live on a daily basis. The inspiration behind the brand has always had music in mind - whether it’s the aesthetic of an entire collection or more subtle tones within our branding - it plays an integral role. When we opened our Flagship Store last Autumn we wanted to make it a hub within the community we all love, live in, work in and play in. The 18w team lives (and works) in the Queen Street West neighborhood and we’ve called this place home for the past decade, since our brand inception. Our store isn’t simply about selling shirts (although the shirts we sell are boss…) - it’s about bringing like-minded people together who share similar interests, aesthetics, pursuits and dreams. Many of our customers have now become friends and we confidently and humbly include them within our growing group of supporters. Friends & family alike swing by daily to simply chat, catch up, listen to good music and - if it’s after 11am - sip on cold ones. 

So we’ve been thinking about ways to have fun events at the store that have nothing to do with selling products and have everything to do with bringing great people together to meet and enjoy themselves. The natural consensus was hosting live concerts in the store. Our friends are in bands, we’re in bands, the pool of local musical talent in Toronto is bottomless and so, with that in mind, we launched our own 18 Waits Concert Series this past June.

Our first Concert featured En Riet - an Ontario based folk/blues collective that includes 18 Waits' very own Shop Boy (aka Store Manager), Sean. The place was packed and the vibes were top notch. En Riet really kicked off the series with style. Give them a listen here. 

As we continue to have more store shows, we'll post photos in our Ramble (blog) but, better yet, come on in to see them for yourselves when the timings right. We’ll be hosting one a month through the rest of the year and will start up again in the Spring of 2018. Hope to see you all sooner than later for some evening libations and some sweet rocking justice.