After more than eight years on Yorkville Avenue, Capsule owner Justin Liu opted to split his store’s wares between two locations, with the Yorkville Avenue location housing all the apparel, and the new Bellair Street location specializing in sneakers.

“After 8 years, [Justin] felt like Capsule could use more space,” says manager, Stanley Zhou. “It was more out of necessity, [Capsule’s location on Yorkville Ave] couldn’t house all the products we wanted that were in demand.”

Capsule isn’t exactly a store that one pictures when they think of Yorkville. But as its track record shows, shops don’t have to cater to high spenders in order to achieve successful longevity in the famous neighbourhood. Sometimes, the best attractions are the comfort and functionality of the products.

The store carries no less than 400 unique styles of sneakers at one time, from the well-known Air Jordan collection, to the collab between Burn Rubber and New Balance. But don’t let the eccentric colours fool you into thinking this is strictly a youth endeavour. “The demographic that walks through … and rings up the register is from ages 18 to 60,” says Zhou. “Each person may not share the same taste in sneaker aesthetics, but all ages appreciate comfort and selection.”

#108-29 Bellair St., 416-926-1845