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Joe Fresh confirms rumour that it’s about to open in New York City

Joe Fresh, the Canadian staple of affordable basics, has confirmed the long-standing rumour that it will be opening its first international outpost in New York City, according to a media release from the company. Set to open in fall 2011 at Fifth Avenue and 43rd Street, the glass and aluminum building (once a Chase Manhattan bank) will be remodelled with new fixtures and a white finish. Joe Fresh also plans to open 20 stand-alone stores in Canada in the coming months, with two new stores slated for Toronto openings by late 2011. Torontonians are anxiously awaiting their first J. Crew, Target, Intermix and downtown Marshalls—we only hope the Americans will get as excited for low-priced cardigans and camisoles.

• Joe Fresh steps on to Fifth Avenue [Toronto Sun]

(Image: Google)

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December 15, 2010 | 10:20 am

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Circa nightclub becoming Marshalls store

Circa: from disco to discount (Image: Divya Thakur)

The former site of Circa nightclub is going to be one of the first Canadian locations of Marshalls, the U.S. counterpart to Winners, reports the Toronto Star. The 50,000-square-foot John Street space is one of four spots lined up; Warden and Eglinton, the Colossus Centre and the Durham Centre are all slated for a spring opening (the downtown Marshalls will open later in 2011).

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November 23, 2010 | 8:59 am

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Shopping on-line this holiday season? CB2 is now shipping to Canada

Crate and Barrel’s hipper, more modern spin-off, CB2, is in the middle of opening its first Toronto store on the beleaguered Queen and Bathurst corner in the old Big Bop building. We’ve been antsy waiting for the company to turn that monstrous, blue landmark into a gleaming outpost of contemporary furniture. But there’s still much work to be done. In the meantime, the store has just begun shipping to Canada from its on-line store (large furniture must be ordered over the phone).

Here, 10 pieces on our wish list >>

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November 19, 2010 | 9:01 am

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Introducing: Oliver Spencer, Queen West’s new menswear boutique

The clothes at Oliver Spencer are wearable and made for cool temperatures (Image: Fraser Abe)

The place: British tailor turned menswear impresario Oliver Spencer has opened his first Canadian outpost (his third shop; the others are in New York City and London) on Queen Street West, smack dab between fellow men’s retailers Fred Perry and Ruins. Spencer has clearly received the Queen Street decor memo: there is the requisite exposed brick, rough-hewn hardwood flooring and kooky accents (this time in the form of beakers, test tubes, butterfly specimens under glass and a human anatomy poster). Beyond the standard-issue interior, there’s a lot for guys to get excited about here—namely, a collection of wearable clothes not too avant-garde (read: weird-looking) to pull off.

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November 18, 2010 | 4:53 pm

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Introducing: Jacob and Sebastian, where bathtime is for adults

Organic cotton towels from Amy Butler are $25

The place: As the giant tub in the centre of the store and the glass ducks floating around the perimeter would suggest, bath concoctions are everywhere. But washing up isn’t about Mr. Bubbles and soap crayons anymore—it gets the grown-up treatment at Jacob and Sebastian, a new beauty boutique at Queen and Bathurst.

The stuff: Aside from bubble bath accoutrements, look for Nuit Divoire candles ($35) that smell like a crackling fire (a fitting accompaniment to the Rogers fireplace channel for cramped apartments), handmade toothbrushes (who knew?) from Alan Stuart ($10) that come in op-art patterns and look great next to tubes of Marvis (the toothpaste that’s less Shoppers Drug Mart and more Drake General Store), and Curpon pillow cases ($40) that claim to reduce wrinkles. We’re skeptical but can’t argue with the methodology—it’s a whole lot less scary than this.

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November 10, 2010 | 3:14 pm

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Introducing: 6 By Gee Beauty, Rosedale’s new travel boutique

Two doors down from Gee Beauty, 6 is a luxury travel boutique

The place: Sisters Celene, Natalie and Stephanie Gee and mother Miriam have opened a travel-essentials shop two doors down from their Gee Beauty salon. With deep chocolate hardwood floors, sunny walls, bleached coral accessories and oversized luggage, the place feels so much like a tropical cabana we were tempted to ask for a mojito. You can even work on a sun-kissed glow in a spray-tanning booth by St. Tropez, administered by the Gee girls ($50).

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November 9, 2010 | 2:33 pm

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Introducing: the Lomography shop, where digital cameras are so 2009

The retro-looking point-and-shoots are much more affordable than digital SLRs

The place: Formerly the cluttered Red Indian Deco, 536 Queen Street West is now home to Lomography’s only Canadian store. First launched in 1997 as one of the first social networking sites for fans of LC-A cameras—everyday point-and-shoots known for their auto-exposure capability—the company quickly created an on-line product shop, followed by stores in major cities (Beijing, Paris, New York) around the world. At a time when both professionals and amateurs were making the switch to digital, Lomography developed a cult following among tastemakers (blame the nostalgic design and low price tag), who picked up the cameras on trips to Asia and Europe.

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October 21, 2010 | 11:43 am

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Introducing: Ruins, a new men’s store at Queen and Shaw

Ruins has been lovingly renovated by the owners and their friends (Image: Hayley Murray)

The place: Impresario turned storekeeper Mikey Apples’ résumé lists several vocations: band manager, wardrobe assistant and vintage picker. So it’s fitting that Ruins, the menswear shop he owns with Josh Reichmann, another music industry veteran, functions as a cultural hub on Queen West. The store displays works by local artists, hosts shows by up-and-coming musicians and stocks obscure fashion tomes.

The owners and their friends did all the renovations, down to the metal window cages, fashioned by publisher, artist and smithy Tony Romano. A gothic archway salvaged from a church outside Toronto leads to Leonard’s—the in-house salon—where clients can go for a straight-razor shave.

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October 8, 2010 | 12:50 pm

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Introducing: The Future of Frances Watson, Parkdale’s new menswear shop

Smart money would have been on a store opening in Parkdale this fall to clothe the patrons of neighbourhood hotter-than-hot spot Parts and Labour. And here it is, across from the Dollarama at Queen and O’Hara. Read about the boutique after the jump.

(Image: Fraser Abe)

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October 7, 2010 | 10:06 am

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Introducing: Frye’s pop-up shop

The place: The latest in the city’s string of pop-up shops is Frye, which has taken up residence inside Ron White’s swanky Bloor Street store. It has the biggest selection of the brand’s boots, shoes and bags in the country. Frye was founded in 1863 and is the oldest continuously operating shoe company in the United States. Its boots were worn by soldiers during the Civil War, and Teddy Roosevelt and now by Barack Obama.

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July 6, 2010 | 12:05 pm

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Just Opened: Avenue Road’s new Leslieville showroom

The space was designed by Yabu Pushelberg (Image: Avenue Road)

The place: For the Avenue Road team, 415 Eastern Avenue was a worthy fixer-upper. The store’s previous showroom—a go-to spot for contemporary designer furniture—was in the area on Booth Street but was too small to properly display all the lines it carried. The new three-level space was formerly a Consumers Gas Company warehouse and most recently housed the printing facilities of the World Journal, a Chinese-language daily. After a year and a half of renovations (it opened in June), the soaring ceilings, concrete floors and painted brick are a tribute to its history.

The stuff: All the mainstays from the previous store are still here: the curving sofas from Yabu Pushelberg, a classic armchair from Brazilian designer Jorge Zalszupin, Piero Lissoni’s glass tables from Italy, along with a new area on the upper floor to use as a gallery or display space for seasonal items—outdoor furniture currently occupies the space.

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June 21, 2010 | 2:38 pm

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Just Opened: Topshop makes its Toronto debut at Jonathan and Olivia

The Topshop area is tucked in the back of Jonathan and Olivia

The place: Fast-fashion chain Topshop enjoys a cult-like following in Britain and the U.S. thanks to its collaborations with celebs (Kate Moss) and designers (Mark Fast). So when the company announced that it would be opening an 800-square-foot mini-shop inside Ossington boutique Jonathan and Olivia, the city’s fashion pack was all a-Twitter. It’s a strategy Topshop used when it first opened in New York, taking over a floor of the Opening Ceremony store to prime the market before committing to a stand-alone location.

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June 17, 2010 | 9:01 am

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Haute Classics brings designer consignment to south Rosedale

(Image: Denise Dias)

The place: This charmingly crowded, walk-in-closet-size shop is stuffed with authentic designer clothing that’s sold on consignment. After running an on-line store for two years, best friends Stella Kim and Jina Han, both 28, opened on the outskirts of Yorkville and Rosedale in early May.

The stuff: The pair keeps consignors’ identities secret and is able to stock exclusively high-end designer items (either new or as good as). On one of our visits, we spotted a gold Burberry Prorsum dress ($1,460) and vintage Hermès scarves ($120). An impressive accessories collection includes black Christian Louboutin pumps ($345), leather Proenza Schouler boots ($500) and an assortment of bags, like a limited-edition Louis Vuitton Speedy ($1,100) and a miniature Chanel tassel purse ($725).

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June 9, 2010 | 9:44 am

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Just Opened: Junction shopping gets even better with Metropolis Living

(Image: Adam C. Freire)

The place: Adding to the Junction’s growing rep as a design destination, this furniture and decor shop lives up to its tag line: “Industrial revolution…reinvented.” Owned by siblings and veteran vintage collectors Phil Freire and Maggie Gattesco, Metropolis Living—styled like a museum of props from a retro film set—pulls together refurbished housewares and untouched originals.

The stuff: Glassware—chemist bottles ($25–$95), large apothecary jars ($125)—is in impeccable condition, and metal-mesh locker baskets ($55) make for interesting storage of household bits and bobs. Typography nerds will lust after the original metal transit signs from New York and Chicago covering the walls, and industrial design buffs will appreciate Freire’s own meticulously refurbished pieces, such as a tabletop crafted from bowling alley floorboards ($2,895).

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June 8, 2010 | 4:30 pm

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Just Opened: Drake Hotel’s third General Store

(Image: Connie Tsang)

The place: The Drake Hotel expands its General Store empire with its third location in as many years. The new shop is a partnership with the Toronto clothing line Shared (the designers Joyce Lo and Carlo Colacci are buyers for the General Store), which has occupied the King and Bathurst premises since last fall.

The stuff: Shared’s tissue-soft organic tees (this season’s collection sports magic-themed graphics) are still on offer, as is a selection of old-school Levi’s jeans and Cheap Monday plaid shirts. The staple General Store gift store tchotchkes are here, too, but the Bathurst shop focuses more on quirky accessories for the home—vintage measuring cups, juicers and light fixtures—than the Queen (giftware) and Rosedale (where kids’ items get more play) locations. Even the rustic-looking display cases and furniture are for sale.

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