World of Maps has everything a traveller needs

The primary time I noticed a World of Maps retailer, I could not consider there was a marketplace for maps to pay the hire on an costly storefront on Wellington Road West. 

However World of Maps is extra than simply maps. There’s flags, apps, journey guides, globes, playing cards and lots of different equipment, whereas being a one cease store for travellers. 

“Enterprise is roaring again now that we are able to journey internationally once more,” stated Brad Inexperienced, who began World of Maps together with his accomplice Petra Thoms in 1994. “When COVID got here, enterprise shifted from journey logistics and planning to studying about travelling, tenting, fishing and residential education geography. It proved to us that our clients aren’t simply travellers, however individuals who have a large, curious view of the world and need to discover it both bodily or imaginatively.”

Initially a cartographer for the oil and fuel trade in his native province of Alberta, Inexperienced moved to the Netherlands to BO, an oil and fuel firm. It is the place he met his spouse, Petra, they usually travelled the globe collectively and a10 years later, they relocated to Canada and selected Ottawa due to its European flavour. 

“We picked Ottawa as a result of it is such a household pleasant metropolis with a cosmopolitan inhabitants with all of the embassy workers and politicians and the colleges and wilderness adventurers right here,” stated Inexperienced. “It wasn’t our intention to open a retailer, however I wanted to work, and knew journey nicely sufficient to achieve success.”

Who knew there was a strong marketplace for flags and Michelin guides? Inexperienced and Thoms did and due to their expertise and information from a decade of travelling, World of Maps rapidly discovered a captive viewers at its unique location on Holland Avenue. 

Now situated on Wellington Road at Parkdale Avenue, World of Maps has change into a well-recognized landmark within the space. Inexperienced thought-about increasing into Toronto 20 years in the past, however deserted the thought and opted to construct an enormous, helpful web site as a substitute. 

“All you want as of late is one bodily retailer and a very good web site,” he stated. “It not solely acquired us via the pandemic, but it surely means we’ve got a nationwide presence.”

At present, enterprise is chugging alongside, discovering new clients on a regular basis. Throughout pandemic lockdowns, demand on the web site was intense for journey writing, fiction and journey planning.

“I benefit from the interplay with folks, travellers and serving to them plan their adventures,” stated Inexperienced. “My rule in enterprise is deal with clients and workers proper they usually’ll deal with you proper too. It is a enjoyable place to work.”

Nonetheless, the enterprise of travelling internationally has, in current occasions, change into extra difficult after a two-year pandemic layover the place the trade simply down completely. It has since reopened, however few anticipated the demand for journey and household that has been overwhelming the airports.

Flags equivalent to Ukraine, Canada and the Delight flag have been regular sellers and in excessive demand, however not with out the occasional complication. 

“A household got here into the shop in January asking for Canadian flags,” Inexperienced recalled. “I believed they wished them to assist the Canadian Olympic crew however they wished it for the ‘Freedom Convoy’ rally that besieged Parliament Hill for 3 weeks. I did not need them to promote them the flags as a result of I do not need them to jam their freedom down my throat.

He stated flags are a “sensitive” enterprise proper now. 

“There is a message behind symbolism,” he stated. “However within the meantime, we’ll preserve the shop going as a result of there’s at all times a motive to journey.”

Go to worldofmaps.com for extra info.