Poppy Barley opens first store in Calgary

By

Jennifer Braun

Published
May 7, 2019

Canadian leather footwear and accessories company Poppy Barley inaugurated its first store in Calgary last month. 

 
The 2400-square-foot store opened in Market Mall and marks the company’s second location in Alberta. The new store merges the company’s online and offline experience and houses in-stock women’s sizes, men’s footwear, and leather accessories. 
 
The space also showcases interactive brand elements including an interactive map, videos of the shoes being made, factory photos from Mexico and Brazil, and a shoe art display. 

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The Edmonton-based retailer is no stranger to the Calgary market having hosted over 26 pop-ups in the city over the last five years, ultimately sparking the opening of the Calgary location. Poppy Barley, which first launched as an e-commerce business, has also seen a growing number of e-commerce orders from the region. 
 
“Not a lot of companies are choosing to enter the Calgary retail market right now,” explained Poppy Barley co-founder Justine Barber.
 
“We believe in Calgary now and its future. Calgary is the perfect place for Poppy Barley to be.”  
 
Founded by sisters Justine and Kendall Barber in 2012, Poppy Barley’s first store opened in August 2017 in the Southgate Centre in Edmonton.
 
While many footwear retailers have struggled in Canada in recent years - Rockport shuttered its store fronts in Canada last year, along with other footwear retailers such as Nine West and DSW Inc, which also exited the Town Shoes banner in Canada - Poppy Barley has captured a mid-market clientele that’s looking for quality footwear. 
 
“Poppy Barley fills a unique gap in the Canadian retail landscape,” said Poppy Barley co-founder Kendall Barber. 
 
“The footwear market is crowded with cheaply-made, uncomfortable shoes or logo-heavy, preposterously-priced brand name footwear. Poppy Barley creates high quality shoes at a mid-market price point. We’re committed to invest in materials not markups. We’re not willing to compromise comfort or design or function or social responsibility. We’re the future of footwear.” 
 
Poppy Barley has dressed the likes of Jann Arden, Jillian Harris, and Jessi Cruickshank. The company has also designed footwear for three NFL cheerleading teams, one of which was in the 2019 Superbowl.