Toronto One Bloor East | 257.24m | 76s | Great Gulf | Hariri Pontarini

Putting aside 'usability' by area residents, I do think Nordstrom executed wrongly here, I think 'Rack' should have gone in at TEC and Sak's and Nordstrom should have anchored Yorkville, along Bloor, with one (likely Sak's) going into a gutted version of 'The Bay' over at HBC, and the other being in an appropriate new build.
There's no doubt that both HBC and Nordstrom miscalculated the placement of their high-end full line stores. Saks most definitely should have been located at Yonge @ Bloor, and they continue to find that out the hard way to this day. Nordstrom is still fledgling at the Eaton Centre since they miscalculated the market around the area, and there's no doubt it would've been more successful at this location.

The Rack location here will probably do pretty well just due to the sheer volume of people who pass by the area on a daily basis, and the fact that it is a lot more accessible to the public compared to say the Marshalls at Aura. As for the interior of the Rack store here, it leaves alot to be desired and the Marshall's and Winners around College are both head over heels more visually appealing.
 
Ah Nordstrom Rack as the main retailer is a disappointment. Just a notch above the Aura and Marshalls... Not even that maybe. It solidifies the notion that Yonge street is psychological boundary.

So? Would you rather have an ultra high-end store that is empty 80% of the time?
 
It does not have to be the extremes, in my opinion, either high end boutiques with very few customers or very low end, such as Nordstrom Rack. There are options for so called "middle class" customer. Nordstrom, for example, used to be my favourite store in Chicago, it is much larger than the one at the Eatons Center and carries many mid-range "affordable" designers. The one at the Eatons is a much smaller, limited selection, lower end version of a Nordstrom anyway.

With respect to the Nordstrom Rack at 1 Bloor, it is a disappointment, I would compare it to Winners, if anything, or Shoe Surce at the corner of Charles and Yonge. I did check it out yesterday: clothes are mostly 100% polyester, made in China, they look OK but quality is poor (high static non-breathable material.) Shoes are plasticky, yes, may be flashy but also of poor quality, very few household items, such as, for example, mugs with notation "washing by hand recommended" - that should speak to the quality of dies used. By and large, it is marketed to teenagers or very young fashion conscious people, may be like students, who do not have much to spend. It is not for a "middle class" or a "young professional" type of customer. Consistently with that low price range approach the interior design of the store is minimalistic, somewhat industrial style. I would agree that Nordstrom Rack would fit more at the Eatons C where groups of teenagers hang out, although this store was extreamely busy. People were sitting all over right on the floor trying on shoes - a noticeable lack of benches for sitting down when trying on shoes was appearant. It also goes together with low price range notion. I was hoping for a more quality store for 1Bloor location.
 
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Looks like an outlet store inside. Too bad the design of the store couldn’t be more polished . I also agree. Why would they put a Nordstrom at Easton center and a Nordstrom Rack here? They should be switched. McKewan customers aren’t going to shop at nordrack and vice versa. Just weird positioning unless they were trying to compete with winners down the street. That Winners has some gems though and the interior decor already looks better than NordRack. Too bad we couldn’t get an Apple store headquarters here instead. Would work better with the design aesthetic.
 
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I don't agree that the flagship Nordstrom should have been here. Both Eaton Centre one and this location have its own problems, neither is a clear winner.

I'd understand if you suggested the Scotiabank location on Bloor or the revamped Manulife Centre ground/second floor retail but 1 Bloor East doesn't have a stronger case than Eaton Centre.
 
The store has plenty of junk made for the outlet market, but it is definitely higher-end than a Winners. The selection isn't as good as the American Racks I've visited but the menswear section included many items you'd see at Harry Rosen. I don't think the marked down to $750 Pal Zileri jackets are targeted to students.

I agree the shoe section is poorly laid out.
 
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May 17
Very sad to see no green for this area, even if it is flower beds.

Inside for the first time to look at the rack and not my cup of tea. The rack has the whole 2nd floor with a good view of Yonge and Bloor, with a 1/4 of the ground level. Good location to watch The One Get built, as well a few others ones.
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On a side note, the more pics I see of that Nordstrom Rack, the more convinced I am that it is one ugly space. I'll have to check it out for myself on of these days and see if things are really that bad inside there.
 
Any news on amenities? The last time I checked a few weeks ago there was a lounge area open with no furniture as of yet. The washroom had problem with water sensors, so there was no water, and no air conditioning in the exercise area. The pool and other rooms were still under construction. Any updates on when do they promise to complete the pool and other amenities? Would it be this Summer or next?
 
Is this what passes as haute couture at Canada's most prestigious corner? It looks more like the bargain basement at a strip mall! Disappointed is my wholly
inadequate response!
 

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