We’ve officially entered spring! And although the weather sometimes takes awhile to get the memo we’ve found some shops around the Exchange that can help you get in the spring spirit. Whether you want to boost your wardrobe with some unique pieces, add a pop of colour to your home, get some fun, fresh patio furniture, or tune up your bike so you’re ready to hop on the moment snow melts – we’ve got some great ideas for you.
First stop…
Anya
Boutique Anya offers customers something a little different with timeless classic clothing that has a unique and stylish edge. This one-of-a-kind shop, with its difficult to miss yellow door, is a great place to get a beautifully crafted new piece to boost your spring wardrobe.
We talked with 
the store’s owner, Alicja Dalecki, to find out what’s new for the spring season.
“The colour scheme is not as light as it typically is in spring,” she says. “There’s lots of black and dark greys this year, with accents of white and tiny hints of pastel.”
Whether you want to start the season off with a beautiful spring coat, a uniquely designed dress, or some versatile linen pants, you will be sure to find a well crafted and uniquely designed piece.
“The intent is to pair timeless classic basics, and to integrate flashier piece to dress up those basics. And we pay a lot of attention to the actual fabrics, as well as the fabric composition. And it’s fun because there are lots of loose silhouettes that you can pair with the clothes you already have in your wardrobe.”
Because Dalecki’s target demographic is wide ranging, it’s a place where a mother and daughter can shop together, and both find something they love. So, if you want to start off the spring with something fun, different, classic, and timeless, pop into Boutique Anya and browse through their collection of contemporary minimalist design!
To see some of these spring designs visit boutiqueanya.com
Now that you’re looking sharp, it’s time to spruce up your home. We stopped in at Hut K to find some interior design tips for the spring season….
Hut K
Hut K is a modern furniture and lighting design store that offers customers an eclectic collection of well respected design brands from around the globe. Their intent is to present great design that helps make your living and working spaces as beautiful and functional as possible.
So, this is a place where you can find something fresh and unique to start the season off.
We talked with Claire Li, at Hut K, to find out what you can find to get your home feeling ready for spring.
“It’s never too early to start thinking about patio furniture,” she says. “Winnipeggers love to start patio and barbeque season as soon as it’s warm enough, so it’s good to be ready.”
You can create a fun, fresh patio look with string chairs and planters that Hut K carries from companies all around the globe, from Scandinavia and Italy to L.A. Blu Dot, from Minneapolis, happens to be a Winnipeg favourite – you can see this brand of furniture in local shops like Roost, Tom Bargen, and Little Sister Coffee Maker.
And if the inside of your home needs a pick-me-up for spring, Li suggests adding some colour.
“It’s really simple to create a new look with a few splashes of colour. You can refresh neutrals with this simple addition. This season people are really feeling the yellow ochre.”
Brighten up your space for spring with a colourful cushion, lamp, or table from Hut K. Their diverse selection of globally-designed and locally-made products won’t disappoint.
Visit hutk.ca to check out their designs.
Having your home feel light and welcoming is extremely important but one of the best parts about spring is that we can spend more time outside!
We went to Natural Cycleworks to talk about getting your bike ready for the season.
Natural Cycleworks
Natural Cycleworks is a full-service bicycle repair and custom-built bike shop. They specialize in creating bikes that are designed specifically for each individual and their unique purposes.
If you need a new bike, they can certainly help you create one that is just right for you. And if you have one already they can help you dust off the cobwebs and prepped for the season. We spoke with shop manager Will Belford who says that now is the perfect time for a tune up.
“Most people don’t have their bikes out yet, so there’s a really short wait time,” he says. “Plus, you want to make sure your bike is fine before you start using it all the time. The last thing you want is to start using it and then it breaks down and your whole schedule is disrupted.”
So, you can save yourself a whole lot of hassle by having things checked out ahead of time and according to Belford tune ups are really easy. You just drop it off and they do everything for you. You can even swing by before work or school and pick it up on your way home if you want. And tune ups are just part of what they can do get your bike ready the season.
“We can do more involved work too,” says Belford. “…like if you want to change your handle bars for instance and just make the bike feel different because it hasn’t been comfortable or maybe you’re working with an injury or pulling around a kid, we do all that too.”
Once your bike is tuned up they also carry all the accessories like fenders, lights, locks, and helmets to make riding more comfortable.
Visit naturalcycle.ca/cycleworks/ to book your tune up!