Edit 2 - Good Habits

We're so excited to welcome Meaghan Harris and Kelty Lewis of Good Habits as our second EDIT! Here's a bit about them and their Toronto-based shop Good Habits:

Good Habits was founded in July of 2020 in the neighbourhood of Little Portugal. Good Habits carefully selects objects, clothing & hand-made items from local makers. They focus on curating a shop full of beautiful, functional & resource-friendly good with the goal of offering sustainable interests that will stay with you for a long time. They don't believe any consumption is 100% sustainable, but feel that your very best option is almost always second-hand.

The name Good Habits speaks to our daily rituals - the ones we carry out so often they have become effortless, like sipping from your favourite mug every morning! They believe there is a special relationship between you & the objects & clothing that you reach for over & over again, like that soft old tee or those perfect worn-in jeans.

 

Q:

Thank you so much for taking the time to share your collection selections with us. Why did you choose these works?

MEAGHAN & KELTY:

I feel like it's pretty difficult to pinpoint what attracts you to visual art. We’re of the belief that with visual works, the feeling that it evokes is what matters and it doesn’t always need to be analyzed beyond that. I mean, we could get into composition, colour, cultural context etc, but part of what makes visual art so appealing is how successfully it communicates without words - it relies on feeling and sensory.

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Q:

What is your first or fondest art memory?

MEAGHAN & KELTY:

Our fondest memory of art as it pertains to us together is the time that we sourced a massive David Hockney print for the shop. We found it on Facebook Marketplace and managed to catch it within a few minutes of it being listed. It didn’t have dimensions listed but when I arrived I realized it was huge and just barely fit into our Jeep. We got it from a couple who was selling their home in midtown to move into a condo and they had so many original works in their home. They actually auctioned off the rest of their pieces but they really wanted to keep the Hockney, turns out it didn’t fit in their new space and this is how we ended up getting it for $15 on Marketplace! We love it because it's huge and quirky and combines typography, abstract and figurative elements. We never get sick of looking at it, it's weird and the colour combo is a strange one that I would never think to put together, which makes it feels perpetually fresh and interesting.

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Q: 

Describe your home style in 3 words.

MEAGHAN:

Quirky, romantic, modern

KELTY:

warm, MCM, vibrant

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Q:

Bucket list piece of art you want to see IRL

MEAGHAN & KELTY:

We don’t have a specific bucket list piece of art we would like to see, however, we both wish to see more dance and theatre moving forward! We know that Toronto has a lot of good performance art and would love to take advantage by patroning these more often!

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Q:

Dawn or dusk?

MEAGHAN & KELTY:

DUSK! Striving to be morning people but after years of working in hospitality, we’re honestly just night people!

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Q:

Textiles or sculpture?

MEAGHAN & KELTY:

TEXTILES! Since our business is primarily all about clothing, we have quite an obsession with textiles, look, feel, fabric etc. We’re very emotionally attached to our own clothing and always follow our hearts when we are curating collections for the shop. If it doesn’t give us feels then we don’t want it!!!

 

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Q:

What’s something you wish you figured out sooner?

MEAGHAN & KELTY:

We have always been good at taking calculated risks within our business but we wish that we could’ve trusted our deep creative vision sooner, without diluting it. We have learned how to make content that is true to us and to not follow formulas that work for the algorithm. We used to be so driven by posting constant content but we have learned to sit back and post less. We enjoy the intentionality of sharing when we have something to say that doesn’t feel forced or obligatory. We love trends but we also love to create visual experiences for people through imagery that is completely original and thoughtful.

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Q:

What would you bring to a picnic?

MEAGHAN:

First off, I’m a Taurus so I like to aim for maximum sensorial luxury at all times in my life while simultaneously I have a tendency to be frugal (mostly cause I spend all my money on FASHION, second hand obviiiii). With this being said I want my picnic to have levels and layers and romance. So here’s what I’d probably pack in my ideal picnic scenario:

  • Tuna sandwiches with extra mayo and spicy chilis on a nice bread with tomato and lettuce.

  • House made spicy garlic pickles (I’m really into pickling stuff rn).

  • Juicy ripe cherries, because this screams summer picnic!

  • A bag of spicy dill pickle chips, we are obsessed with these!

  • Barbet sparkling waters, yummmm.

  • A bottle of cold skin contact wine, we have a set of wine glasses we thrifted and they’re plastic and colour blocked and they are nice to look at when they catch the sun with a pretty wine inside.

  • A pack of playing cards.

  • My fave checkered picnic blank

 

KELTY:

I am a Gemini surrounded by Tauruses... so yes luxury is a must almost always!! I love an elaborate picnic with an abundance of snacks depending on my mood. I’m also a bartender and am quite a drink snob - OOPS! An activity such as cards is always a nice option but I usually just like to socialize (gemini).

  • Snacks: something crunchy to dip into some sort of dip!

  • ICE: I am the ice queen, it’s always worth it for drink temperature/mixing! If I picnic (it’s usually on the island) then I need to know I can be refreshed and that my items will last all day. It’s always worth the haul.

  • Fruit of the season, something shareable!

  • Wine or pre-batched cocktails

  • Lots of H20 so we never have to leave!

  • A soft cotton sheet or blanket to sprawl on

Good Habits' 9