In the fall of 2024, when Jenna Pryor (Top 40 ‘22) was dreaming up Post and Brood, her new shop in the Mercury Block, she was imagining a space that felt open and welcoming, where people could always find the perfect card, the perfect treat or the perfect gift. She’d just re-watched You’ve Got Mail, the now-classic romantic comedy in which Meg Ryan’s character owns a bookstore called “The Shop Around the Corner,” and felt inspired to be the Edmonton version of that. That December, just four days before Christmas, Post and Brood opened for business.
The shop sells thoughtfully chosen paper and home goods, jewellery, sweets and fresh flowers, most of which are Canadian-made (some, Pryor notes, come from Europe).
The space blends a classic aesthetic — think ornate display tables and vertically ship-lapped walls — with the contemporary details of the Mercury Block. The pairing, says Pryor, is essential. “(A space) should feel collected and layered and thoughtful.”
Pryor, who is also an interior designer, has a love for tangible quality. From soft linen aprons to aromatic olive oil soaps, her offerings appeal to the senses.
Given its 1998 movie inspiration, Post and Brood has an almost nostalgic air, like a vestige of an era erased by online shopping. The shop, of course, does have an online store (a necessary part of being a retailer these days) but Pryor encourages customers to be tactile — to come in and touch products and get a sense of how they were crafted, how they feel in the hand. Contemporary shoppers are looking for connection and intentionality from their retail experiences, she says. “I have regulars, and I know their dogs and I know their kids. That sense of community is such a lovely thing to build.”
For Pryor, Wîhkwêntôwin is the perfect neighbourhood to build that community. She loves having neighbours like Coffee Bureau and Evolve Fitness but, more importantly, Wîhkwêntôwin gets heavy foot and bike traffic, especially during summer Sundays, when the 124th street Farmers Market sets up outside her shop door. The neighbourhood is one of the densest in Edmonton, she notes, “and it continues to densify.”
As the store grows, Pryor is excited to include more design products in the shop, including wall papers and Annie Sloan paint (Post and Brood will be the iconic British company’s main Edmonton retailer). But she is also aware of the current economic moment. “I always want to make sure you can come in and spend $7 and have a lovely experience, or come in and spend $75 and have the same experience.”
Post and Brood
Wîhkwêntôwin | 12314 102 Ave NW, Edmonton | postandbrood.ca
