Katelyn Joliat
THE JEWELLERY DESIGNER & SHOP OWNER TELLS US WHERE TO GO
As told to Odessa Paloma Parker
As the designer of K8 Jewellery (the Toronto-based line of lovely silver and gold pieces evoking florals, feathers, bows and more), Katelyn Joliat has cultivated a unique vision for her brand. Now she has set her sights on a new endeavour – boutique ownership – with the recently opened Far Away Eyes, located on Queen Street East.
With a focus on jewellery (the shop carries K8, Flotsam and Jetsam, and Bing Bang as well as others), and a small selection of women’s apparel (Upstate and No Lost Witches are two of the stocked brands), housewares and personal items like Moleskine notebooks, Far Away Eyes has a lot to look at within their intimate space.
Here, Joliat tells Plaid where else she spends her time when not at the shop.
BOOKS
I’ve mainly been into visual/art books lately, as a tool for inspiration but I also as a source of relaxation. Absorbing into a book is an amazing way to open up the mind and learn. The last one I purchased was a book on alchemy and mysticism. The pictures and information I soaked out of that book have been more than influential on the shop, both consciously and sub-consciously. For as long as I can remember I’ve always been drawn to hermetic imagery, and man, was that book a great find!
For buying books, I go to Type on Queen Street West, and Acadia Books, which is literally now one block away from the shop on Queen Street East!
BRUNCH
Easy Restaurant and Rustic Cosmo, mainly because they are literally up and down the street from my apartment, always a safe bet, [have] good service and hit the spot. That being said, I have been enjoying Lady Marmelade in the east end – a super yummy brunch option – and Red Line Café, which is a block from the shop and great for morning and afternoon pick-me-ups!
CITY WALK
Sorry, but I pretty much bike everywhere. Even up the street just to get milk! The best city biking: Don Valley Parkway – [it has a] great trail and lots of greenery; the old Cherry Beach Trail, and the Leslie Street Spit are staples from my childhood growing up in the east end and are always a favorite. [Aside from] that, just day-to-day I truly love riding. Fast, hard and always cautious. It can be a video game out there and you need to be at least five steps ahead of the game – safety first.
PATIO
Is it just me, or is it hard to find good patios in this city that gets sun till sundown? Regardless of that, my personal favorites, partly do to emotional attachment, are Julie’s Cuban – intimate and cozy, and [they have] yummy mexican eats; Barque – fast service and yummy bbq; The Dizzy - good people watching; and Betty’s on King – close to the shop and really cheap. The list could go on.
VINTAGE
House of Vintage; whether I go in there on a mission or just for a visit, I always leave with something. The Flashback empire [in Kensington Market] – Roger is the king of vintage! And 69 Vintage; I remember when that place first opened, and it’s still rad. [It's] my go-to for shoes. In terms of antique hunting and other great findings, well, some secrets are best not shared….
