A new market is taking over the former location of Toronto's beloved Sunday Antique Market, which took place every weekend in the St. Lawrence Market for 31 years. 

The historical attraction has since reopened in Mississauga, leaving the tent that previously hosted it vacant and waiting for the right person to breathe life back into it. 

Toronto vintage veteran Kealan Sullivan, founder of the Hippie Market, has positioned herself to take on the challenge– though she isn't reinstating the Sunday Antique Market as it was previously known.

Rather she's welcoming in a new multi-generational edition: the Sunday Variety Market. 

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With nearly two decades of vintage and market experience, Sullivan has seen major shifts in the market culture in Toronto and is eager to execute her new vision.

"It's all in the name," she says. Her goal is to have Sunday Variety offer a variety of things to do, see, enjoy and purchase, which means you can expect music, vintage and antique goods, furniture, crafts, handmade products, food and art.

One of the shifts Sullivan has observed in recent years is a post-pandemic surplus of local micro-retailers. By starting a new market with a new name and energy, Sullivan is hoping to make these businesses more accessible to the public and give them a space to sell their goods. 

"A lot of businesses were born on Instagram, but there's nothing that beats shaking hands and meeting the person you're buying a product from," says Sullivan. "I think that's the shift that we're in right now. And I don't think it's going to slow down."

Sullivan is not only bridging the gap between local creators and consumers, but also the east and west ends of the city, as well as older and younger generations of both consumers and vendors. 

"I think for the most part when you consider the constructs of our city as a whole, it's quite evident that there's places where older people go, and places where younger people go. I'm definitely hoping to help dissolve that line," she says. 

Since the Sunday Variety Market is intended to be a welcome space for all, it's also fitting that it's happening in the centre of Toronto. "Not just a geographical center, but a soul center," adds Sullivan. 

It's new territory for her, because her life has previously centered around the west end of Toronto. "Trinity Bellwoods park has been the center of my universe since I was 21," she says.

Sullivan pioneered her first vintage businesses in the west end of the city in her late twenties.

Starting in 2004, she opened her flagship shop 69 Vintage and watched it evolve through various interactions, including 69 Vintage by the Pound, 69 Vintage Collective, and 69 V, which functioned as a gallery-style shop with rotating installations.

Sullivan also hosted pop-up vintage and craft markets in the west end, like the Queen West Market in the mid 2000s, and the Old Soul Weekend Market and One Night Stand night markets in the early 2010s.

After 15 years in retail, Sullivan considered retiring from vintage fashion, but the scene wasn't ready to be without her. "I kind of just did a full 360 and came straight back to what is what I always meant to do, which is build community," she says.

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That's when she got the idea for Hippie Market, the travelling pop-up vendor market she founded with her husband Alistair Kyte in 2017. It's a fashion-focused market made up of vendors selling vintage and handmade goods and tends to draw a younger crowd. 

While there, you're likely to spot Sullivan floating around, warmly greeting visitors and ensuring everything is running smoothly.

Meanwhile, Kyte is behind the DJ table setting the vibe. He actually taught himself how to DJ specifically to create music for the Hippie Market, and is now working hard to do the same thing for Sunday Variety. 

The same way Sullivan knew there was a need for a cool vintage shop in the early 2000s and a need for an outdoor vintage market in 2017, she knows that St. Lawrence needs a revival. 

"I think for where we are as a city in terms of the entrepreneurs and everyone that's hustling to promote their small business, the timing is just perfect," she says.

The first Sunday Variety Market will take place June 18 in the marquee tent behind St. Lawrence Market. Vendor applications are currently being accepted. For more information and dates, visit sundayvariety.com.