Trap Mart is a new exotic snack shop that was brought to life by a brother-sister duo. Dana Rae and Darcy Giles are surrogate siblings who love snacking and felt it was time to turn their passion into something bigger. Trap Mart carries an extensive range of exclusive candy, chocolates, rare snacks and cereals and a massive range of exotic sodas. After seeing the ‘exotic snack’ trend in the US, they quickly saw a demand for the limited edition and throwback snacks in Canada. When conceptualizing Trap Mart, they knew the store had to open in Downtown Toronto and specifically Queen West -- given its diverse neighbourhood definitely ready for a store like theirs.
Both Dana and Darcy have travelled across Asia and Europe extensively. Dana went to school in Australia and lived in Asia for over a decade. They both quickly noticed how in Europe, the chocolate is entirely different compared to North American chocolate. Notably, the Nutella products in Italy are more diverse. Darcy explains how all over Asia, there are different and wonderful flavours of familiar snacks like Lays chips and Cheetos that we have never seen in Canada. The siblings saw and enjoyed so many snacks that they knew their friends would love and had to bring back to Canada. Darcy shared, "We have seen stores carrying exotic snacks, but never in the elevated way that we wanted. We set out to create a really cool space that reflected the needs of people like us. A high-end snack shop, incorporating lifestyle aspects, where everything on the shelves is absolute fire."
When asked about the reasoning behind the name of their store, the duo explains that Trap Mart is a play on words. "A nod to trap music and culture, a reference to Toronto's strong cannabis community (weed and snacks are hand in glove) and also a play on words. It's a trap; you will buy lots of goodies when you visit Trap Mart," says Darcy.
Trap Mart will be launching an e-commerce platform in the coming months and offering nationwide shipping and local delivery services. Additionally, they plan to open more locations.
Their goal is to offer new products often and carry limited edition and highly sought-after items. The best way to stay informed is to follow their social media.
