Sew Bar opens in the Annex—sewing, wine, and a café

Mina Yoon, the entrepreneur behind the influential Queen West jewellery boutique Eko, is opening Sew Bar in the Annex this late August—a two-storey, 4,000-square-foot creative space that weaves together sewing classes, rentable workspaces, a retail boutique for emerging and established designers, a Bernina machine dealership, and a café with wine service.

The venue occupies the former Annapurna Vegetarian Restaurant space. After closing Eko in 2019, Yoon spent time at George Brown taking sewing courses and found herself drawn into a growing community of aspiring designers, makers, and alteration experts. What started as an idea for a small sewing club in her home outgrew her living room, planting the seed for Sew Bar.

"I want to provide an elevated space for the community of crafters I've come to love," Yoon said. "But I also think it's important for the next generation of Torontonians to understand what it means to spend time making a garment, so fashion doesn't become just another cycle of constant consumption."

Workshops will run from morning until evening—as many as three simultaneously—ensuring the space stays creative. "Kids have countless recreational activities where they get to make art, build things and learn new skills, while adults mostly have bars," Yoon explained. "I wanted to create a place where they could do both—have a drink, a small bite and sew at the same time." Despite the closure of beloved maker spaces like Make Den in 2020 and the Workroom's move to Sprucedale, Ontario, Yoon is betting on the economics of experience. "It's about sewing, for sure, but also about creating an experience and an environment, and I hope that's economically viable."