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As new downtown apartment towers start filling up, a store is opening in a former optical shop to help tenants furnish their units.
MiCasa by the Bedroom Boutique is opening Sat. Oct. 19 in the former Hakim Optical store at the corner of King and Clarence streets.
Owner Kavi Singh from Brampton said he was attracted to London because of its location halfway between Toronto and Detroit.
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“From where I see, London is a growing market,” he said.
Singh said he and his business partner Tanmeet Singh Arora spent time in downtown London surveying potential customers and sites for the store.
Singh said the two-storey building with large windows at 217 King St. provides “good visibility” for the market he hopes to cater to: the new downtown residential high-rises, including the 25-storey Clarence Square across King Street that began leasing in June.
Tenants also are moving into the first phase of Old Oak’s Centro development at Talbot and Fullarton streets and York Developments’ 270-unit Aqui tower at 131 King St.
“Downtown (London) is getting a little subdued, but the area has a lot of potential with residences being built and offices,” Arora said. “We want to bring the crowd back downtown.”
Singh also runs the Bedroom Boutique’s flagship store in Brampton that opened in January and offers the same products. The London location has been in the works for the past six months and came together in 20 days, he said.
“We want to take this store all over Canada,” Singh said.
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On the first floor of MiCasa, customers can find a range of items, from coffee and dining tables and to chairs and sofas. The second floor has bed frames and physician-approved mattresses made in Singh’s factory in Brampton with prices ranging from $399 to $999.
The 29-year-old came to Canada as a student in 2014 and drove trucks for almost 10 years until he could start his own business. He began by making his own mattress prototypes. “I know what people want,” he said.
“This is not the normal furniture store in the market,” Singh said. “The store has a proper ambience, and the employees at the store are knowledgeable.”
The response on social media ahead of MiCasa’s opening has been overwhelming, Arora said, with numerous potential customers submitting queries about items and placing orders.
As for what makes a store a boutique, Arora said it’s about the “ambience.
“It’s really important to make a good first impression when a person comes in to buy. We have flowers and décor around,” Arora said. “Our main goal is to provide comfort.”
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