Canada’s Purveyor of Buttery Leathers Comes to Nolita

Roots, the Canadian purveyor of vegetable tanned leathers has landed in Nolita with their first New York boutique. It’s the fifth shop in the U.S. following Beverly Hills, Venice Beach, Park City Utah and Birmingham, MI and it brings the 42-year-old brand’s bags, footwear, small leather goods, furniture and clothing to the attention of Big Apple hipsters. The leathers are butter soft and the vibe is rugged with a Canadian urban woodsman twist.

The Elizabeth Street, 600-foot boutique, also called a gallery space, showcases artist collaborations and is more like a hipster gathering spot as much as it’s a place to sell cool stuff. They are planning an outdoor space for customers to enjoy although its not currently open.

Roots is a “slow and steady wins the race” success story. Their history goes back to 1973 in Toronto Canada, when Don Green and Michael Budman created a shoe with what they called a “ Negative Heeled”. After the success of the shoe they jumped into clothing, bags and other leather products but kept their signature rustic style. Their “Horween” leather is vegetable tanned while the “Tribe” leather is extremely durable, water resistant and looks better the more it is worn. Although they are well known for leathers their comfy but stylish active wear also hits the right note and is very popular.

Roots is located at 228 Elizabeth Street in New York City.