Marché, the open-air counter-service restaurant that looks like Epcot’s interpretation of a French market, is finally opening at Brookfield Place Friday, much to the relief of nearby office workers and hungry tourists who got lost in the Path trying to find the Hockey Hall of Fame. It’s been six years since Marché packed up its wicker baskets and left Canada after a long and bitter legal dispute with Richtree’s former owner, Jorg Reichert. Now, with him gone, it seems like Marché is making a fresh start at Richtree’s flagship spot. The question now is, Will the Richtree-versus-Marché rivalry continue, even with so much water under the bridge?
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Battle of the baguettes: with Marché back at Brookfield Place, will its rivalry with Richtree be rekindled?
Shopper freaks out as Eaton Centre closes during G20 protests
No doubt about it, the G20 inconvenienced a lot of people. Subways closed, roads were blocked, store windows were smashed, and shops had to be closed. You’d be hard pressed to find anyone who wasn’t ticked off this weekend, but none (save for the black bloc rioters perhaps) seemed as mad as this guy. Demanding to get into the Eaton Centre, he screams at security guards, asking, “Why, why, why are you closed?” He goes on for minutes, but our favourite moment comes when he hollers in vain, “We are the Toronto public! We want to shop!” Strange, we always try to get out of the Eaton Centre as quickly as possible.
• Retail Rage: Eaton Center closed during G20 protests, guy has meltdown [YouTube]
It’s official: rioting underway in downtown Toronto
The relative peacefulness of Toronto’s G20 demonstrations has been smashed like so many Starbucks windows. A group of people using black bloc tactics—instigating violence during demonstrations while dressed in black garments and scarves—has lit a police cruiser on fire near King and Bay streets and broken dozens of windows. Thick black smoke is rising into the air in the financial district, according to Newstalk 1010. As rain begins to fall, security personnel are trying to subdue and redirect activists who are reportedly determined to cause havoc.
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How the Eaton Centre is spending its $120 million in make-over money
The geese will remain (Image: Michael Cavén)
Last week, when we heard that the Eaton Centre was about to undergo a $120-million reno (its first since the late ’70s), we pondered what changes the downtown shopping centre could really use. Some of our requests (like a new art installation) were granted, and others (the Bored Boyfriend Lounge) have been ignored. Here’s what shoppers can expect from the transformation:
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How the Eaton Centre should spend its $120 million in make-over money
The Eaton Centre will undergo a $120-million facelift beginning in July, and all we know is that the lower level will have more light and Michael Snow’s geese will stay. Cadillac-Fairview will announce its full plans tomorrow. In the meantime, here’s what we’re hoping for:
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50 Reasons to Love Toronto
HOW DID WE DO IT? While the Great Recession battered other cities, Toronto has emerged triumphant—Bay Street is bullish, our real estate market is hot, and the streets are sparkling for this month’s G20. Yes, our success has a lot to do with our stingy financial system, but it’s also because smart, interesting people move here every day, attracted to a city that’s challenging and gritty and exciting and indulgent (we have a restaurant dedicated entirely to grilled cheese sandwiches, Reason No. 2). If Torontonians have one shared flaw, it’s that we’re pathologically reluctant to acknowledge our greatness. Now, more than ever, we have reasons to brag
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Michael Kors store coming to the Eaton Centre
(Image: Michaelkors.com)
Added to the slew of summer store launches in Toronto, a Michael Kors “lifestyle” shop is set to open in the Eaton Centre at the end of the month. Shoppers familiar with the stores in Sherway Gardens, Yorkdale and at the Shops at Don Mills can expect pretty much the same from the EC location: women’s handbags, footwear, accessories, clothing and a whole lot of gold.
Stuart Weitzman coming to the Eaton Centre
This August, Stuart Weitzman will open its first Toronto stand-alone boutique in the Eaton Centre (there are already two locations in Quebec). The store will be over 1,500 square feet and carry the full collection; in Toronto, a selection of pieces from the brand are currently available only in select stores. Shoes typically fall in the $300 to $500 range.
And on the seventh day, man created the mall: retailers fight to open on holidays
Apparently there isn’t enough time to shop these days. The Star reports that the question of whether or not to allow stores to open on holidays, such as Christmas and New Year’s Day, is up for debate next week before city council makes a decision next month. Malls like Yorkdale and Sherway Gardens are among the retailers hoping to stay open during the long weekends (currently, only the Eaton Centre, Yonge Street strip, Yorkville, Harbourfront and the Distillery District have permission to do so).
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Fantastic YouTubery offers hilarious glimpses into ’80s and ’90s Toronto
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Remember when Cher shopped at The Bay? Or when Roberto Alomar shilled for McCain? Neither do we, but our current obsession is helping jog our memories. YouTube channel Retrontario takes us on an unabashedly Ontarian trip down memory lane, with most clips gleaned from ’80s and ’90s Toronto TV. Warning: you may be subjected to images of leg warmers, TTC pride and Harold Ballard.
Times Square gets aquarium from Torontonian; CN Tower might get aquarium from Orlandoan
(Image: Smudge 9000)
If there’s anything Times Square needs, it’s more people. Luckily, Toronto developer Jerry Shefsky was on hand last month to sign a preliminary agreement to build a seven-storey aquarium smack in the middle of the chaos. Maclean’s took a look at Shefsky’s past projects, and it appears that the 76-year-old developer, who was once a senior executive with Toronto mall overlord Cadillac Fairview, is hell-bent on populating the world with aquariums. In the ’90s, there were plans to build one across from the Eaton Centre, but they were scrapped when Eaton’s filed for bankruptcy protection in 1997. Later, Shefsky and his partners wanted to put an aquarium in the CBC building. (No word on why that plan fell through, though we think it’s because an aquarium in the CBC building seems like a waste of fish.) Other bids failed in Las Vegas, Ottawa and Paris—near the Eiffel Tower, specifically.
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Roots’ unintentionally un-PC sale
Poor Russia (Image: roots.com)
The inevitable sales on Olympic merchandise have begun, and at Roots, not all countries are marked down. The store’s unofficial line for the Games is called the International Collection, which includes a selection of hoodies that represent different nations, such as China, the Netherlands, Norway, Russia, Jamaica, the U.S., Australia, France, Italy, Finland, Germany, South Korea and Canada.
Oddly, at the flagship store in the Eaton Centre yesterday, only the China, Russia and Norway hoodies were on sale (from $70 to $50), while the other hoodies were still regular price. On the Roots Web site, South Korea and Australia were also on sale for $50.
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HBC not making a penny on Olympic mitten sales
Proceeds from mittens go to Canadian athletes (Photo by Michael Francis McCarthy)
Today’s Olympic Mitten Update comes from Time, which is a little late to the story, considering there are only three days left in the Games. Heck, even Oprah scooped them.
HBC’s CEO, Jeffery Sherman, tells Time that 3.5 million pairs have been sold since they went on sale in October—1.5 million of them were sold this month—and that the company doesn’t make a penny off the sales. Sherman says that the proceeds from the mittens ($12 million so far) go to the Canadian Olympic Committee to fund athletes’ programs. Sherman says he doesn’t regret not getting a piece of the profits and that “we entered this to do the right thing.” Besides, the hype surrounding the accessory has led to increased traffic in the stores and overall sales.
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Party like it’s 1984: a retrospective of food at the Eaton Centre
It’s not breaking news, but that’s what makes this commercial for the Toronto Eaton Centre so great. Well, that and it gives us the opportunity to appreciate how much the city’s food scene has evolved since 1984. This intensely ’80s ad turns the spotlight on the nondescript gastronomical offerings at the mall: a pizza counter, bistro tables, a supermarket and a candlelit family dinner on what looks like the third-floor walkway outside Indigo. But for us, the highlights are the stereotypical Italian chef floating into the mall with a psychotic smile, and the woman being spooked by a stranger while holding an ice cream cone that matches her headband.
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Face forward: the perfect foundation for women who hate wearing foundation
We don’t often write about cosmetics and skin products on Style, but we’ve been using Per-fékt’s skin perfection gel for years, having smuggled it in from the States until it was made available in Canada a few years ago, and we’re surprised that the product has remained fairly unknown.
It’s essentially a liquid foundation made from an ultra-light silicone formula that evens skin tone and fills in large pores and fine lines with basically no effort—it melts into the skin. For foundation and powder wearers, it can be used as a primer to create a smooth base, but women who prefer a more natural look can use it (in a clear or tinted formula) alone for a glowing mug. Both water and sweat resistant, the gel is fragrance-free and enriched with vitamins A and E.
$65 at Sephora. Eaton Centre, 220 Yonge St., 416-595-7227, sephora.com.
