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Winnipeg-based EQ3 marked a milestone with the opening of its first New York store in November.

Thanks to its 11 retail stores across the country, as well as wholesale partners such as Hudson’s Bay, Canadians are well versed about EQ3 and its lineup of contemporary furnishings. But now the Winnipeg-based company, founded in 2001, is looking beyond our borders. In November, it marked an international retail milestone with the opening of its first New York store, a U.S. flagship that will complement shops in California and Illinois.

Located in historic, art gallery-filled Chelsea, the three-storey, almost-12,000-square-foot space stands out as one of the few new buildings in the neighbourhood. “We definitely agonized about that location,” EQ3 president Mark Letain says. “We knew if we were going to have a flagship store in the United States, it had to be in New York.”

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The nearly 12,000-square-foot space is in the historic, gallery-filled neighbourhood of Chelsea.

EQ3 places a lot of emphasis on Canadian manufacturing and creating products that are suitable for every home. Alongside its in-house collection, EQ3 also sells brands such as Herman Miller and Marimekko, and recently collaborated with California artist Michael Upton on a series of canvas prints. “We design it ourselves and manufacture most of what we do, but we also invite other Canadian designers into our design process,” says Letain, pointing to the Place tables created by Prince George, B.C.'s Shawn Place as an example.

“We have a unique Canadian spin to modern [design] and that’s what we’re trying to reflect in our products and in our store openings,” says Letain. “If you think about Canada, it’s perceived as being wide open spaces and clean and I think that’s reflected in our aesthetic.”

EQ3, 116 7th Ave., New York City, 212-675-2516, eq3.com.

In stock

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KELLE RAMSEY

Michael Upton Bastille canvas print, $220.

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Nixon bar stool, $349.

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CRV EQ3

Ban end table, $299.

Style news

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