After ten years of building their brand exclusively online, Toronto-based luxury leather goods company Monte & Coe has opened its first-ever physical retail location in the Distillery District. The year-long pop-up at Retail Container #9 represents what co-founder Andrew Coelho calls a “full-circle moment” for the Canadian-made brand.
“We’ve built this brand online for 10 years, actually almost 10 years to the day we launched with a crowdfunding campaign,” Coelho said in an interview with 6ixRetail. “We’ve shipped thousands of orders all over Canada, the US, all over the world. And we felt something was missing. There’s nothing that compares to seeing a design in real life, touching the product, feeling the quality of the materials, even smelling the leather.”
From Four Friends to Seven-Figure Brand
Monte & Coe was founded in 2012 by four friends – Andrew Coelho, Ron Scarafile, Nicholas Wiktorczyk, and Matt Montemurro – who found themselves addressing a simple question: “Why can’t I find a stylish weekender bag that’s not ‘fast fashion’ and not exorbitantly expensive either?”
The founders had just graduated from university and started traveling more frequently, becoming “exhausted with the same leather and canvas products that overwhelmed” the market. They identified a gap between super luxury brands like Louis Vuitton and Gucci and fast fashion alternatives like H&M.
Andrew Coelho has since built the company into a “7-figure accessories brand from the ground up with no funding,” growing from the original crowdfunding campaign to an organization spread across Toronto and Montreal.
The company has evolved significantly from its origins. Founded in 2012, Monte & Coe has become known for its “morally responsible approach which is distinguished by their local small-batch production and commitment to using eco-conscious raw materials like Italian wool and vegetable tanned leather.”
Physical Retail Strategy
The decision to enter physical retail stems from the limitations of digital commerce for luxury goods, particularly those emphasizing craftsmanship and materials.
“Oddly, we hear that a lot from folks when they walk into the store or just in other scenarios we’ve been in, it’s like, wow, this leather really smells quality,” Coelho explained. “And you just can’t do that online. And as much as we can sell and scale online, we really wanted an opportunity to get, you know, to have the store create and grow our community here in the city.”
The container store, located near the south parking lot at Trinity Square, operates daily from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. through 2026. Visitors can explore the brand’s full range, including the highly anticipated Bucket Bag, Weekender and Tote bags, Briefcases, Laptop Sleeves, and other leather accessories. The location offers complimentary onsite monogramming for select items.
Made-in-Canada Manufacturing Philosophy
Central to Monte & Coe’s positioning is its commitment to local manufacturing. The company uses “natural materials like vegetable tanned leather, merino wool, and organic cottons” with all products “meticulously handcrafted in our Toronto and Montreal studios. Each product is handcut, hand stitched, and handpainted one by one.”
Each product bears stamping indicating whether it was “handcrafted in Toronto” or “handcrafted in Montreal,” positioned directly beneath the Monte & Coe logo.
“When I put myself in the shoes of a consumer, and I am a consumer myself, I kind of ask myself what’s gonna make me feel like there’s value in this?” Coelho said. “It’s just a call out to showcasing the craftsmanship of where those products are made, whether it’s Toronto, whether it’s Montreal.”
The local focus extends beyond marketing to the company’s broader vision. “We started this brand and this company with a really big vision of building luxury right here at home,” Coelho explained. “When we think of other countries around the world, like Japan, France, Italy, they all have such a great reputation for craftsmanship and quality in everything they do, not just leather goods, but everything. And, you know, for us, we wanted to kind of give an opportunity for Canada to have that notoriety, that same notoriety.”
Strategic Location and Market Positioning
The Distillery District selection was driven by brand alignment and meaningful connections. Gotstyle Founder Melissa Austria was “the first brand or the first person to ever believe in us and put in a first purchase order,” according to Coelho, creating personal significance for the location choice.
“This distillery feels right. I think the location aligns with our values. It’s one of the most iconic neighborhoods in Canada. A neighbourhood that reflects what we stand for as a brand, as Monte & Coe,” he said. “You have heritage, creativity, quality, dating back all the way to what the distillery truly was, right?”
The decision-making process emphasized intuition alongside business metrics. “As an entrepreneur, sometimes it’s not always about logic. Sometimes you just gotta feel right,” Coelho noted. “When we talked about the distillery, the more we talked, the more it just felt right.”
Corporate Gifting and Expansion
The company has expanded beyond direct-to-consumer sales to “cater to large-scale events like President’s Clubs and corporate appreciation programs,” developing what they describe as “luxury corporate gifting solutions” specializing in “bespoke essentials” and “personalized, sophisticated experiences for discerning organizations.”
Monte & Coe views the Distillery location as a potential catalyst for broader growth. Success will be measured through sales performance and customer engagement, with expansion decisions dependent on results from the year-long trial.
“What does success look like being down there? Obviously, as from a business standpoint, sales are going to dictate how people resonate with us in real life,” Coelho explained. “But the big vision behind this is, if this works in the next six months, 12 months, where else can we do this? Can we do this in Montreal, where we also have craftsmanship roots? Can we do this in Vancouver? Can we do this globally?”
Early indicators appear positive. “In the short time we’ve kind of been open softly for a couple of days and the response has been incredible so I think it’s a sign of things to come,” Coelho said.
Distillery District’s Retail Evolution
The Monte & Coe opening contributes to ongoing retail development in the Distillery District, which attracts over two million visitors annually. The historic neighbourhood has experienced significant retail activity over the past year, establishing itself as a destination for both established and emerging brands.
Italian food marketplace Eataly recently opened a seasonal pop-up at 21 Trinity Street, operating in the lower level of the Gotstyle store as a sub-lease with Gotstyle moving upstairs with a targetted offering. The Eataly location features a café complete with outdoor seating as well as a curated retail section, which follows a successful activation during the 2024 Distillery Winter Village.
Toronto Pen Shoppe is celebrating its second anniversary this year, with plans for an “Anniversary Sale on July 12th” featuring “discount up to 70% off your favourite brands.” The specialty stationery store will also host a complimentary hand lettering workshop sponsored by LEUCHTTURM1917.
The district continues attracting new concepts, with signage appearing for The Saucy Milliner millinery boutique in the former Beauchamp Art Gallery space. The area has also featured emerging brands like Orso Activewear, previously covered by 6ixRetail.
Market Context and Industry Positioning
The Distillery Historic District operates as a pedestrian-only neighbourhood featuring over 40 specialty boutiques, restaurants, cafes, theatres, galleries, and artist workshops within Victorian industrial architecture. As a National Historic Site, the area combines heritage preservation with contemporary retail and cultural programming.
Monte & Coe’s entry into physical retail reflects broader trends among direct-to-consumer brands seeking tactile customer experiences. The company’s emphasis on Canadian manufacturing and local craftsmanship positions it within growing consumer interest in supply chain transparency and supporting domestic production.
The success of the Distillery location will inform Monte & Coe’s long-term retail strategy and potential expansion across Canada and internationally, as the company works toward its vision of establishing Canadian luxury goods on the global stage.
Dustin Fuhs is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of 6ix Retail, Toronto’s premier source for retail and hospitality industry news. As the former Editor-in-Chief of Retail Insider, Canada’s most-read retail trade publication, Dustin brings over two decades of expertise spanning retail, marketing, entertainment and hospitality sectors. His experience includes leadership roles with industry giants such as The Walt Disney Company, The Hockey Hall of Fame, Starbucks and Blockbuster.
Recognized as a RETHINK Retail Top Retail Expert in 2024 and 2025, Dustin delivers insider perspectives on Toronto’s evolving retail landscape, from emerging brands to established players reshaping the city’s commercial districts.