by MARC SCHULTZ

Even though Winnipeg is best known for its statue of Louis Riel and blistering cold weather, Tyson Bodnarchuk and Angie Johnson are staunch advocates that some of the best art and music has come from Canada’s most central province. Unfortunately, as with most creative minds, they longed for a place that would better suit their artistic ambitions.

Johnson, a fashion designer and Bodnarchuk, a painter and printmaker, both felt that Montreal was a city that offered a vibrant artistic scene. “Once we saw all the creative talent in Montreal, we realized we could open a store that could offer both fashion and art,” Bodnarchuk explains of their move here in 2003.

Headquarters Galerie & Boutique would be the result of three years of planning and hard work. “We did a motherlode of research long before we started the project,” Johnson says, while adjusting clothes on a rack. “All of the artists in the store are people we’ve met and exhibited with in the past.”

Headquarters opened to the public in the summer of 2006. The unassuming facade on Amherst Street makes any first-time visitor gasp with curiosity when they walk in to see a wall of indie clothing imported from all over Canada and the United States, next to one-of-a-kind belts, jewellery, CDs and an xtensive vintage book collection. Just below the boutique is a gallery space that hosts new and up-and-coming artists—a vernissage is held on the first Saturday of every month to kick off each new show.

“At first, I was a little worried about finding new artists to do a show with every month, but now the gallery is booked well into next year,” says Bodnarchuk. “We’ve been receiving portfolios and inquiries by the truckload, which is amazing!”

Having won a grant from the Mators Foundation and advertising in a Vice magazine insert helped to get HQ on the radar, but their road to success has not been without hurdles. Between robbers stealing a rack of jeans, or taking a full face of pepper spray as two thieves made off with their computer, Bodnarchuk and Johnson are still trucking along to provide a uniqueness that cannot be found in a mall. “About 90 per cent of the stuff in the store is made in a studio by the designers themselves; some pieces are even one-of-a-kind or limited runs, so there are some real great finds.”

Visit Headquarters Galerie & Boutique at 1649 Amherst, (north of de Maisonneuve) www.hqgalerieboutique.com.