Tusk

Growing up, Nicole Freedman was cautioned – especially by her parents, who own the clothing boutique Raquel – not to get into the retail business. “When I was growing up, they hated the idea of it, just because it’s like a grind,” Nicole says. “You have to be at the business pretty much every day, so it’s just a lot of work. But now I see that there’s definitely rewards to it, so they’re happy about it now.” Upon graduating from university, she worked in marketing for about six years while saving enough money to finally launch her women’s clothing store, Tusk.

Tusk first opened in 2012 as a pop-up at the back of Nicole’s friend’s shop, Silver Falls Vintage, on Ossington. In February 2016, after the shop closed down, Tusk found a new, permanent home on Queen Street West.

“I grew up coming down to Queen Street, when I was 12 years old, so I’ve always known this area and loved Queen,” says Nicole, who grew up in Toronto. “When I found this place existed, I jumped at the chance because it was such a good location – I love all the restaurants in the area and all the other boutiques, and I know the shop owners around here.”