A little shop of ‘oddities’

“It’s not really anything that you particularly need but lots of things you want,” store buyer and manager Krista Blake said of Bon Mot, one of Uptown Waterloo’s newest shops.

Bon Mot, meaning “good word” or “clever saying” in French, opened on Dec. 2.

After its previous shop-owner who ran a bead emporium retired, Jane Bond and Starlight owners Bernard Kearney and Josh Kohler – who own the entire building – decided to work with Blake to create the eclectic store.

“You come here and get things you could never really find at the mall. It brings a lot of different countries into one shop,” Blake told The Cord.

Having immigrated to Canada from the United Kingdom, Blake is able to exploit her connections with European designers.

Ranging from Swedish Fjällräven backpacks, coats and clogs to upside-down planters from New Zealand and Japanese balloon speakers, Bon Mot carries “all sorts of bizarre things,” according to Blake.

“I think it kind of celebrates good design and it’s a really broad eccentric mix so it’s something for everyone,” she said.

“It provides something for the curious mind and objects that have more of a life-span rather than just something you buy and throw away eventually.”

Blake explained that Bon Mot also carries music, to keep in line with the vibe of Jane Bond and Starlight.

The store has asked local record stores Orange Monkey and Encore Records to supply vinyl albums and box sets in order to introduce customers to diverse music they may not normally be exposed to.

She told The Cord that Bon Mot has already been able to attract clientele from across the KW community.

“We’ve got a broad mix of people, so it’s really inclusive rather than exclusive,” said Blake.

Bon Mot also caters to the student population, with objects like backpacks and iPod speakers gaining popularity.

Blake also explained that the new shop will try to work with students in the future.

“There will be … projects for which I will try and work with arts students and design students,” said Blake. She stated that there is a display case meant to showcase local works, hopefully some of which will be created by students.

Bon Mot is located at 47 King St. N. in Waterloo. It is open Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Thursdays and Fridays from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sundays from noon to 5 p.m.