In North Bay, Ontario, The Annex by Cheapskates traces its roots back to an unlikely starting point: a bike, snowboard, and skate shop called Cheapskates. What began as a small women’s wear corner inside that action-sports retailer eventually outgrew its shelf space and, in July 2014, spun off into its own dedicated storefront under the Annex name. That origin story still shapes how the boutique presents itself today, run by a team that understands street and board culture and translates that same sensibility into curated women’s fashion rather than skateboards and snowboard bindings.
The boutique specializes in ladies wear and accessories, stocking tops, bottoms, dresses, outerwear, swimwear, and lingerie alongside a broader accessories wall that includes jewelry, gloves, socks, sunglasses, hats, and bags. Footwear rounds out the clothing side, while a smaller natural skincare section and a selection of homewares give shoppers a reason to browse beyond the clothing racks. The brand roster leans toward established, trend-driven labels rather than generic private-label stock, with names like Afends, Brixton, Coal, Dr. Denim, and Herschel Supply appearing throughout the lineup, brands more commonly associated with skate, surf, and streetwear culture than a conventional women’s boutique, a crossover that reflects the shop’s Cheapskates lineage directly.
Since branching out on its own, The Annex has positioned itself around giving women’s fashion a more personal, focused shopping experience than it could offer while sharing space with bikes and snowboards. Management describes the business as constantly evolving to keep pace with changing trends in the fashion industry, which shows up in how frequently the online catalog rotates in new brands and seasonal pieces rather than settling into a static, unchanging inventory. The shop maintains an active e-commerce presence built on Shopify, letting North Bay area shoppers and customers across Canada browse and order online, though the business has been explicit that it is not currently shipping to the United States, keeping its customer base concentrated north of the border.
For customers in North Bay and the wider Nipissing District, The Annex offers something a little different from the area’s other clothing options: a boutique with genuine roots in board-sport retail, now applying that same eye for trend-driven, brand-name product to women’s fashion instead. The connection to Cheapskates remains part of the brand story rather than something the business tries to hide, giving shoppers a sense of continuity between the original shop’s action-sports customer base and the newer boutique’s fashion-forward one. Whether someone is after a swimsuit for a lake day, an outerwear piece for a North Bay winter, or an accessory to finish an outfit, The Annex draws on brand relationships built through its skate-and-board-shop origins to keep its shelves stocked with names shoppers already recognize.
The Annex by Cheapskates is a North Bay, Ontario boutique that grew out of the Cheapskates bike, snowboard, and skate shop in July 2014, now operating as its own dedicated destination for women’s clothing, footwear, and accessories from trend-driven brands including Afends, Brixton, Coal, Dr. Denim, and Herschel Supply.
