GOODEE's flagship Westmount space combines curated global design with Montreal roots

"If we've done it well, when people walk into the store, their very first reaction is that they should not know that they're in Montreal, but that they could be anywhere," says Byron Peart, who founded GOODEE with his brother Dexter.

Sure enough, stepping into the company's flagship store in Westmount, you might momentarily forget you're in Montreal. That's by design. Every object in its 1,000-square-foot space on Sherbrooke Street West has a story, balances sustainability with luxury, and represents a freshly cut ribbon on the twin brothers' physical manifestation of their vision for conscious commerce.

Opened on March 25, 2025, the store marks a homecoming for the Peart brothers, whose previous venture WANT Les Essentiels made waves in the luxury accessories market. Now with GOODEE—launched in 2019 as a B Corp certified online marketplace—they've shifted focus to curated homeware that balances beauty, ethics, and global craftsmanship.

"When I think our entire career as a thread, one of the big things that Dexter and I have always done is have this global way of looking at design," Byron says.

It's something he says feeds into the transportive quality of the space, and that customers have already shared their impressions of.

"One woman came in and she said, 'I feel like I'm in a place in one of my favourite places in Tulum,'" Byron recalls. "The most common reaction we hear is, 'We cannot believe this is here in Montreal or Westmount'—it's almost as if we've given a gift to the city that people weren't expecting."

"All of those sensorial, experiential aspects... it's happening, and we don't have to force that."

The concept of store as home

Think of GOODEE as a countryside hideaway of a residence where one's collected a lifetime's worth of curated goods when compared to the suburban neighbourhood-sized experience found on the sprawling floors of big box retail.

"I think we have a unique sensitivity to human connection because (Dexter and I are) identical twins. It makes us natural born collaborators. Our relationship is to lift each other up," Byron muses.

Modern retail concepts can lean into minimalism or technology-forward experiences, but GOODEE's approach is decidedly more intimate. The space feels like a thoughtfully designed residence, using materials and techniques that create warmth and texture.

"The whole design is supposed to make you feel not like you're literally in a home, but to embrace you with the comforts of home," says Byron.

Standout design elements that reinforce this include a Venetian plaster treatment on all walls and custom window treatments made from repurposed tablecloths by ENO, one of their suppliers from Cairo. Then there's the floor-to-ceiling peg wall designed to evolve with seasonal narratives.

"We were very intentional when designing the store and experience, aiming for maximum flexibility in layout and visual merchandising," says Byron.

"For our Spring launch, we curated a refined gardener's theme, with monthly installations planned throughout the season. To bring this to life, we collaborated with one of our favourite local woodworkers, Maxwood, who created this beautiful cherry wood display wall exclusively for the store."

These details are an extension of GOODEE's sustainability ethos. The brothers designed the space themselves, working with existing structural elements rather than gutting the location.

Global curation with a global mindset

GOODEE stands apart through intentional curation as opposed to algorithmic recommendations and endless options. The store features products from over 30 countries, all vetted for design excellence, craftsmanship, and positive social and/or environmental impact.

"GOODEE is a curator by definition," Byron notes. "We go around the world, we've selected the makers who are best in class in the craft that they're doing."

"What we're ultimately doing is human connection. Having retail and being able to make that a person-to-person experience, storytelling from mouth to ear... all the AI in the world cannot replace that."

It's an approach which runs counter to the typical e-commerce strategy of endless inventory. "What happened with online retail was that it was the first time that a retailer was able to have endless merchandise, endless catalogues, endless backrooms, endless products. So the notion of curation, I think, disappeared as a result of that," Byron adds.

So, in GOODEE's compact space, limitations become strengths. Beyond retail, the store will host monthly intimate events focused on craft and sustainability. Coming up soon is a collaboration with Hemido Horticulture, an organization bringing indigenous vegetables from the Caribbean to Quebec agriculture.

Back home

For the Peart brothers, opening in Westmount is more than a business decision—it's homecoming in a city renowned for design, returning to where they opened their first store with WANT. "We really wanted to do something in our home market and we're eager to contribute and add value," Byron says.

Unlike home, however, the store will evolve over time, keeping the experience fresh for repeat visitors.

"The whole centre zone, which is not fixed to the wall, will convert to a totally different thing for a different time of the year," Byron explains. "We're showing them another way of living, another way of being, another way of entertaining."