Spring Sneaks

We love strolling about in all seasons, but spring in Toronto, that brief bout of clement weather wedged between the long, harsh freeze of Canadian winter and the sweltering sauna of summer, finds us especially street-happy. All that walking around sure does a number on our sneakers, but fortunately, spring is a time for new beginnings so it's easy to justify a new pair of sneaks as part of the whole spring cleaning package.

Around King/Spadina, there are lots of shops with a decent selection of sneakers, but rather than enumerate all the dozens of places you can pick up a pair of chucks or Nikes, I thought I'd concentrate on slightly harder-to-find casual brands and styles:

C Squared (365 Queen St. W)

This is the place to go for a pair of Campers. This popular Spanish brand is surprisingly difficult to come by in Toronto - there is no Camper store here yet (not for long, hopefully!). C Squared carries the biggest selection of Camper sneaks in the city, as well as other interesting footwear and apparel.

Livestock (116 Spadina Ave.)

Vancouver-based Livestock set up shop in Toronto recently, offering a selection of rarer Vans styles. A selection of streetwear apparel is also available, including some by Pharell's Billionaire Boys Club label.

Goodfoot (431 Richmond St. W)

The mecca for Toronto sneaker freaks, Goodfoot carries the latest rare sneakers as well as hard-to-find vintage styles. Great store design and informative staff make a visit to the store an educational, even cultural, experience - a store, but also a sneaker gallery in a way.

Get Outside (437 Queen St. W)

A Queen Street institution, this is the place to go for Clarks, Tsubo, Ben Sherman and a number of other brands. Even spotted some Evisu chucks there as of late. A good selection of Converse and Vans is also available.

Da Zone (468 Queen St. W)

If all else fails, for a more conventional selection of stylish and affordable sneakers, Da Zone on Queen and Augusta is the place to go. Lots of Converse, Vans, Asics, Adidas, Puma can be found in this large and airy store.

Happy shopping, and happy spring!