Cocktail Emporium has opened a new location in the Front Street Promenade of Toronto's Union Station.
Cocktail Emporium has opened the doors to its new location on the lower level of Union Station’s Front Street Promenade in Toronto. As part of the transit hub’s revitalization, the specialty cocktail store joins a selected mix of local and independent retailers occupying the building’s original 1927 storefronts, giving them access to some incredible foot traffic (approximately 300,000 commuters pass through Union daily). It joins two existing locations, one in Kensington Market and the original store on Queen Street West, which owner Kristen Voisey opened in 2011.
Cocktail Emporium stocks everything you need for a cocktail except alcohol, including accessories such as glassware, decanters and bar tools, locally made bitters, syrups and garnishes, and items such as books, coasters, reusable straws and trays. At the Union Station location, customers also have the option of perusing Cocktail Emporium’s entire collection on an iPad and having orders delivered to the store.
While her existing customers include both professional and hobby bartenders, Voisey customized her newest location to focus on gifting. “When someone comes in looking for a gift for someone, the first thing we ask is, ‘What do they like to drink?’” To that end, the merchandise is organized by spirit, making it easy to find just the right thing for the gin, rum or tequila lover in your life. There’s also a range of non-alcoholic spirits, which Voisey says have become bestsellers. “It’s all about mindful hosting," she says. "If someone’s at your house or at a bar and they don’t drink, you don’t want to make them feel weird.”
Cocktail Emporium, Union Station, Lower Level, 65 Front St. W., Toronto, 416-964-8535, cocktailemporium.com.
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