Spencer Schmick, a born-and-raised Albertan from Carstairs, worked in retail for a number of years, but he always wanted his own storefront. He worked in managerial roles and, later in his career, as a sales representative for home decor and furniture. “The travel from acting as a sales representative became too much, which pushed me to pursue opening my own shop,” recalls Spencer. “The tough thing was figuring out what I wanted to do.”
The first idea on the drawing board was opening a gift shop in Calgary, but he thought that was too generic. That’s when the idea of a store catering to urban male professionals came to mind. “I hadn’t really seen this idea done before,” says Spencer. “If it was done, it was usually on a larger scale in bigger centres. I wanted to create an environment where men would like to shop and feel at ease.” So, on January 9, 2016, Spencer opened Stuff on Seventh Street and 11 Avenue Southwest.
