'Clothing Collaboration': Entrepreneur and Artists bounce back from pandemic with joint project

NYC Stylz is a fixture on Richmond Row in London, Ont. but COVID-19 has taken its toll on long-time owner Dave McCallum.

NYC Stylz is a fixture on Richmond Row in London, Ont. but COVID-19 has taken its toll on long-time owner Dave McCallum.

Since the pandemic began, he's been forced to close his shop for five months, had a rash of break-ins, and even had to board up his store.

"I went back to selling out of my vehicle and delivering clothes out of my car like the old days," said McCallum, who has owned the business for 20 years.

While his doors were closed, a recommendation by Downtown London's Kathy McLaughlin led him to local artist Brad Biederman. Biederman painted a mural on the outside NYC Stylz, which started a trend of other boarded up facades turning into murals.A year later, that collaboration has morphed into a partnership.

"It's like the artist meets the entrepreneur type thing and we can work together," said. McCallum, who has since purchased eight designs from Biederman and one from Fanshawe student Sarah Wing, and put them on t-shirts at his shop.

"This is a great way for me to promote my own illustrations as I don't really have any physical places to put my art right now," said Wing, a third-year graphic design student. "So this is the only place I can do it right now, other than on Instagram (@SarahWiing) so this is great for me."Biederman has mural artwork throughout London, but calls this “an honour,” adding, "This is a little embarrassing, but I have driven by the building just to see my shirt on a mannequin through the window, at least once or twice," said Biederman, whose Instagram handle is @ANITHIRTYTHREE.

The partnership is off to a great start, with shirts selling across Canada and orders coming from as far as Bermuda and Jamaica.