Where Beauty Shines

A local spot for amazing unknown brands that will make a difference in your life!

Blossom Lounge is the name of this cute and quirky boutique located in the distillery district. Shauna Podruzny is a familiar name in the industry and the owner of this boutique. The doors first opened in 2004 inside the path at Bay and King, only to carry bath and body products. But not your typical bath and body lines. Definitely nothing you would find at a Shoppers. The difference is the quality of these products and the wonders they can do for your skin. Let’s not forget the beautiful packaging that catches your eyes for some of these brands like Lollia, Lovefresh, One Love Organics and Farmhouse Fresh. A lot of the brands carried in this boutique are unknown to most people and now since natural skin care lines are becoming a niche, the lines have become quite popular and people tend to come to Blossom Lounge just to pick up certain lines.

Then in year 2008, Shauna made the launch from just bath and body to carrying fashion apparel in store and expanding. According to my interview I had with Shauna, “the transition for bath and body was quite smooth, I had lots of support from my brother and his wife who made it a lot easier for me”. The Distillery is the only free standing location at the moment, along with the online shop. It has nothing to do with not being able to hold a store, but it has to do with Shauna finding the perfect location! The distillery location is quite unique with old pieces of wood from the 1800s, being used in store for drawers and shelves, which gives an old feel to the store.” The distillery is one the most beautiful neighbourhoods in Toronto and with all the history it makes it the perfect location for a store. My son also was super excited about the distillery, so I thought why not go for it. And now we’ve been open for 2 lovely years”, as told by Shauna when I interviewed her. And with exceptional customer service, this boutique has a great reputation of being one of the best in the city with one of the nicest owners in the industry!

The fashion apparel lines that are in store are brands from all over the world. That includes USA, The U.K. Australia and Canada just to name a few. Each line has a unique story and a history to it which makes each line in store so special! The ones that stand out the most are Soia & Kyo, Mackage and Wooden Ships. Soia & Kyo and Mackage are Canadian sister brands. The quality is up there with the finest sourcing of leather for Mackage and the finest sources of other materials for Soia &Kyo. There is nothing better than an independent boutique carrying Canadian lines. In the words of the owner, “the jackets from Mackage are to die for and my personal favourite at the moment”. Wooden Ships is a brand that is based out of New York City. It is a knitwear brand that does the most that it can to reduce its carbon footprint. Each item is dyed with eco-friendly dyes and made by hand. In the factories the company works towards a zero waste policy to get rid of all unnecessary waste! The brand strives to be a paperless office, so they ship everything by sea! It is important for Shauna to carry brands like this that are different and the customer is now actively searching for this stuff all the time!

Let’s not forget that this if a lifestyle boutique and the store carries accessories including jewelry, bags and other home products like notebooks, home diff-users, water bottles and candles. The jewelry line that stands out the most is called Jenny Bird. Jenny Bird is a local Toronto designer that is known for costume jewelry with a nice twist. The brand has expanded to be including all over the world and the brand has huge philanthropic partners like the Canadian Red Cross and the World Wildlife Foundation. Shauna chose her lines and brands carefully, each and every one of them are very special and most have great philanthropic partners. “As vapid as the industry can be, it is important for me to have brands in my store that are not only great for your skin and the environment, but care about the world as well”, in the words of Shauna Podruzny, the owner of Blossom Lounge.

Blossom Lounge goes out of its way to be a unique boutique with different lines that cater to all, men and women included! Shauna is not just known for being an amazing boutique owner, but she has done a lot of charitable donations for organizations in and out of Toronto! Shauna has helped many independent Canadian designers do pop up shops in store. “I was a young entrepreneur once so I try to help people out the most I can and give someone a chance that I truly believe in the product they are selling and if it will make a difference I have no problem lending a hand”. She also cares deeply about eco-friendly products and eco-friendly lines so much! “It is important that my customers know the options out there that are better for you in the long run and all these products are tested and used by my Blossom Lounge Ladies. I take pride in all my products that are sold in the store and online. And I can say by using eco-friendly products, it has changed my life for the better”, in the words of Shauna. So what better yet to pop into Blossom Lounge the next time you are in the distillery. Now that you know the owner is one of a kind, I am sure you will find a product that is suited just for you!