pw20
Active Member
I was wondering that too.
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AlbertC
Superstar
David Rocco Bar Aperitivo (wine bar) will be opening at 95 Cumberland Street (near Bellair) later this Spring. The retail space was formerly occupied by HÖM Cafe.
www.retail-insider.com
BRIEF: Golden Goose Opens 1st Store, David Rocco Opening Yorkville Wine Bar
Other News: Victoria's Secret closing more Canadian stores, Birks launches luxury brand Tudor watches, survey looks at female entrepreneurs.
www.retail-insider.com
AlbertC
Superstar
Farewell to the Club Monaco flagship store at 157 Bloor St W. Some photos and summary of its time there in this article:
www.retail-insider.com
In Photos: The Last Days of Club Monaco on the Mink Mile in Toronto
The beautiful flagship store opened 25 years ago in an historic building, and its exit will leave a vacancy at a prominent corner.
www.retail-insider.com
fiendishlibrarian
Active Member
I opened that store, back in April 1996, as part of the first group of employees. Loaded and unloaded trucks there for nearly three years, a lot of good memories - and wild stories - about that place.
Richard White
Senior Member
Farewell to the Club Monaco flagship store at 157 Bloor St W. Some photos and summary of its time there in this article:
In Photos: The Last Days of Club Monaco on the Mink Mile in Toronto
The beautiful flagship store opened 25 years ago in an historic building, and its exit will leave a vacancy at a prominent corner.
I wonder if U of T will open up shop there again.
Towered
Superstar
Share some stories please - don't tease!
T.E.C.II
Active Member
Farewell to the Club Monaco flagship store at 157 Bloor St W. Some photos and summary of its time there in this article:
In Photos: The Last Days of Club Monaco on the Mink Mile in Toronto
The beautiful flagship store opened 25 years ago in an historic building, and its exit will leave a vacancy at a prominent corner.
I was disappointed to learn of its closing, I always liked that location.
ADRM
Senior Member
They actually never left; U of T currently has advancement and IT offices as well as classroom and academic offices in the rest of the building.
AlbertC
Superstar
Circle K will be opening at 202 Bloor St W, which is the base of the Exhibit condo building just west of Avenue Rd:
retail-insider.com
BRIEF: CF Sherway Gardens Marks 50 Years, Brass Rail Shutting on Yonge Amid Redevelopments
Other News: Ontario lockdowns to hit retailers again, furniture brand Sundays opens Ossington pop-up, Circle K coming to Bloor Street.
retail-insider.com
Student99
Active Member
lol a Circle K? I guess the area needs something when the 7/11 at Spadina eventually closes
Student99
Active Member
They left for a while. I remember a period where the back half of the building was the Ontario Ombudsman or something to that effect. It's U of T's department of classics now (which may move out when the planetarium proposal gets developed?).
There had been talk briefly a long while ago about having the U of T Art Centre move into the Club Monaco space, to make a sort of cultural hub on that corner with the ROM and Gardiner museum also there. Not sure why they didn't go through. Possibly complications with Victoria University (which owns the building).
Student99
Active Member
Yes, do tell.
Strangely I don't think I've ever set foot in the Club Monaco section. Did it look like a typical Club Monaco inside or did it maintain some of the building's heritage elements?
fiendishlibrarian
Active Member
Let's just say that, for a certain then-owner of that company, it's a good thing smart phones weren't around then. Lots of after-hours client event hijinks and bacchanalia, a *lot* of good times. That stretch of Bloor to Bedford, which then included Bedford Ballroom, was an absolute blast in the late '90s, Yorkville too (WC Fields', etc.). One thing they could probably never get away with now: the girls who were the first group of hires had to present a modeling/photo portfolio. JM personally approved each one.
And yes, when the store opened many of the original tiling, columns and other fixtures were maintained to the highest degree possible. It did not look like any other of the stores I visited as part of the training process and you can tell they spared no expense. It's a testament actually to how well it was designed that up until the end the store did not appear fundamentally different than when I was there 25 years ago. When I saw the Retail Insider story about its closing I was shocked actually at how *little* changed it was. A lot of the work in the store actually took place behind the scenes, in the lower level stockrooms, storage areas and staff room that led from a hallway from the old CMX on the lower level. An entire area was dug out in anticipation of the bar/restaurant that was supposed to be located there but as is well known that by and large did not pan out.
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T.E.C.II
Active Member
I seem to recall them renovating the men's section, which was in the basement (and apparently used to be a pool?).
I feel like Ralph Lauren would have been a good new tenant, but seeing as how Club Monaco is owned by RL, that's probably not happening.
I feel like Ralph Lauren would have been a good new tenant, but seeing as how Club Monaco is owned by RL, that's probably not happening.
Benito
Senior Member
LCBO in Manulife is going to open in the enlarged ground floor space where William Ashley used to be!
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