Shopify Opens Second Office In Toronto

A sure-sign of growth is opening another office. And now Ottawa-headquartered Shopify has not just one but two offices in Toronto.

Shopify R&D, the name of the second location, is located downtown and within a walkable distance of its main office.  That location is a large draw for the company as it seeks to appeal to and retain top talent.

According to TechCrunch, Mayor John Tory attended the opening of the office, said his city “welcomes disruption” as he praised the company for its ability to draw that talent to the city.

For those unable to see the new place in its opening season, some who have seen it say it emulates what Google has done. Photos reveal that the space features lofty ceilings, rustic wooden beams and the oh-so-trendy communal work spaces, with benefits including free lunches, events and activities.

At the opening event that includes more than 100 (including employees), Mayor Tory was also joined by key leadership at Shopify such as Craig Miller, Satish Kanwar, Stergios Anastasiadis and Monika Piotrowicz.

In case you were wondering about the name, it’s where they do experiments and test out ideas, but the office will house the bulk of the engineering and user experience team. The company says plans are in place for about 200 employees to work out of this office, but over time it is slated tor each about a thousand before 2020. Executives said there is a plan to add yet another office in the area, but that would cull both offices under one roof.

But regardless, it certainly seems that there is a love for the city of Toronto by the executive team.

“This is an opportunity to really throw a flag down and really go all in on building really great product in Toronto,” Piotrowicz said at the event, according to TechCrunch. “We see so much potential, even in what the Toronto community looks like from a tech perspective, from a UX perspective; there’s so much talent in Toronto.”

In addition to the two offices in Toronto, Shopify also has locations in Montreal, Waterloo and San Francisco.