Two years after it launched, Canada’s first fully Indigenous-owned department store has closed its doors, leaving the owner $800,000 in debt, thanks in part to the denial of a City of Toronto grant.
The problem began when Chelsee-Marie Pettit, the founder of Aaniin, applied for a city grant to showcase the work of Indigenous artists at her Eaton Centre pop-up.
Pettit says she thought the city initially approved her application, prompting her to extend the lease on her store. But then an anonymous Indigenous jury, which has the final say in the grant’s approval, denied her funding, creating an added layer of financial burdens.
A murky story.
