With its future in Toronto unclear in 2022, STACKT founder and president Matt Rubinoff touted the market’s mobility, which is made up entirely of shipping containers.
“The idea of this project is it’s modular,” he said. “So we have the ability, because these are shipping containers, to pick it up and move it.”
That won’t be necessary in Toronto. At least for the next decade.
STACKT announced on Wednesday that the City of Toronto has signed a 10-year lease extension for its flagship location at 28 Bathurst Street. It also announced plans to expand in Ottawa, Calgary and Vancouver.
“We are thrilled to continue our relationship with the City of Toronto,” Rubinoff said in a release Wednesday.
“In Toronto, the STACKT market began as a unique concept and has evolved into an impactful ecosystem where people and businesses can connect and grow. We have created a community here in Toronto, and this expansion proves our ongoing commitment to fostering opportunities for creativity and growth. We are excited to bring this energy across Canada.”
On its website, STACKT touts its Bathurst Street shipping container market as the largest of its kind in North America and describes it as “an ever-evolving cultural marketplace featuring a mix of shops, a microbrewery, top chefs, killer city views and lots of ongoing community programming.”
The award-winning site opened in April 2019, and according to STACKT, it has since hosted over 3,000 businesses, created over 10,000 jobs and attracted over five million visitors.
Toronto Deputy Mayor Ausma Malik celebrated the partnership.
“STACKT market brings together business, the arts and community in a way that enhances the vibrancy of our downtown,” Malik said in a release.
“By providing a platform for local businesses and artisans, welcoming neighbours and visitors alike, STACKT market enriches our neighbourhood and serves as a model for sustainable and community-oriented development that is now being expanded across Canada.”
According to a 2017 city staff report, the Bathurst site was slated to become a park. It’s not clear if those plans will remain in place when STACKT’s new, extended lease expires.
CityNews has reached out to the City of Toronto and is awaiting a response.
With files from Dilshad Burman