7 New Shops (and One Amazing Restaurant!) to Check Out This Summer

A chic chocolate shop, a bohemian apothecary, a luxe new kitchen showroom and more new rooms from across the West.

Chocolate Lab, Calgary

Husband-and-wife team Dallas and Eva Southcott bring their shop of exquisite handmade chocolates to Calgary’s newest market, dining and entertainment experience, Granary Road. From a dark chocolate infused with 12-year-old Scotch to the “Matinee at the Bijou” bonbon inspired by the American cocktail, the sweet treats here will suit any taste. 226034 112th St. W

Luxuries of Europe, Calgary

A turn-of-the-century redbrick barn is the new spot in downtown Calgary to find high-end European furniture. Once used to house horses for the local creameries during the 1900s, the space has a small boutique feel; visitors can browse pieces from top Italian brands like Reflex Angelo (longtime specialists of Murano glassworks) and Prianera (known for the sleek lines of their modern sofas). 221 10 Ave. SW

JP’s Indian Bistro, Calgary

Calgary furniture designer Sumer Singh has put a new-age spin on an Indian bistro that celebrates comfort-food favourites. The restaurant collaboration is a first for Singh (a previous WL One to Watch) and his studio, Mtharu. Singh designed everything from the interiors to the millwork to the dramatic drop pendants and wire lights (most pieces were made by his studio, too). Inside, visitors are met with a dramatic three-toned blue feature wall, 14-foot ceilings and ornate geometric mirrors mounted on laser-cut steel that dazzle like jewellery (we also love the framed Indian superhero comics!). As for the menu, look out for fresh and elevated takes on familiar dishes like chicken biryani or chana masala. 7006–2060 Symons Valley Pkwy. NW

Forge 53, Edmonton

From their start as an industrial metalwork company, Mike Muirhead and Jesse Rudiger expand their growing business into an online base for custom furniture and cool housewares: think tri-legged stools with octagonal seats and clear pine coffee tables with grey trapezoid legs. 4132b 97th St. NW

Fringe and Flora, Edmonton

What began as a home business specializing in succulents—tucked into gorgeous modern designs—has now graduated to a bricks-and-mortar studio in the core of downtown Edmonton. Fringe and Flora’s specialty succulent designs are presented in a carefully curated selection of chic pots. #213-10706 124th St.

Nettle’s Tale, Vancouver

Praised for swimwear designed for “the everyday woman,” Tale’s newest venture is a proper storefront that brings the suits and small-batch West Coast goods to the heart of Gastown. Stocked with apparel, accessories and camping gear—think kimono towels, chunky toques and waterproof hoodies—it’s a fashionable adventurer’s dream. 330 W Cordova St.

Habitat by Aeon, Vancouver

The Italian kitchen showroom, Habitat by Aeon, has found a coveted spot in what used to be the studio of legendary interior designer Robert Ledingham—a stand-alone concrete beauty, half-hidden under lush ivy. The expansive 4,000-square-foot space fits eight full Italian kitchen displays and curated selections of decorative lighting, doors and closets. The Minotti Cucine kitchens are modern and minimal with streamlined details and visually dominate with bold square-cut shapes. Interwoven throughout the showroom, the Aster Cucine line varies the space with juxtaposed styles like contemporary, rustic and more. 129 E 4th Ave.

Boreal Folk Apothecary, Whistler (and Beyond)

Partners Raphaëlle Gagnon and Mark Coelho are the brains behind the Boreal Folk mobile apothecary currently roaming across Western Canada. The self-proclaimed modern-day nomads decided to take their natural skincare company into the wilderness, where Gagnon harvests all-natural ingredients. Inside the 99-square-foot solar-powered workshop—designed and handcrafted by Coelho—you’ll find chic sheet metal workstations and wooden crates, the latter just brimming with raw ingredients for products like wild rose bath oils and geranium and soaps rendered from sagebrush and cedarwood. Catch the travelling wilderness laboratory in Whistler this summer or track them online.

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