A high-end running store

Inspired equally by elite running culture and its urban locale, the space is nestled at the base of a condo building. Unlike most running shoe stores that overwhelm with their walls of shoes on tiny shelves or pegs, the intention was to focus attention on the main products at Black Toe on a display at table and counter-height. Discover Black Toe Running in Toronto (CA).

A massive Canadian mosaic from bits of wood

The yoga apparel brand wanted to create an original facade, something that would evoke Ontario’s north. The front facade and entrance is a mosaic, representing an autumn leaf, is crafted from 35,788 wooden blocks made from a variety of woods. Discover Lululemon Yorkdale in Toronto (CA).

Loblaws, a crown jewel of food stores

The Loblaws at Maple Leaf Gardens is a pretty remarkable grocery store. Not only is it a huge retail space but its market-style features like self-serve seafood, the grand wall of cheese, and loads of prepared food options are part of what they call its "theatre of food. Discover Loblaws in Toronto (CN).

Michel Brisson transformed the national bank building

Michel Brisson's boutique has an elegant and modern look. Large without being huge, the store marries golden woods with large black cubes. Explore Michel Brisson near Montreal.

Cahier d'Exercises boutique

Placed at distinct intervals and delicately suspended from the ceiling, the racking system was custom designed by the architect to permit the clothing displayed to be perceived as a changing and evolving building material. Explore Cahier d'Exercices in Montreal (CA).

Great Wall Tea packs a lot of taste in a tiny space

Tea tins line the back wall of this little shop, featuring bright pictures of tea cups on their lids. Visit The Great Wall Tea Company near Vancouver.

Longos' "super" supermarket

Putting the “super” in “supermarket”, the new store is designed to be, a “symphony for the senses”. It is indeed a foodist’s playground. A lot of attention was invested to upgrade the shopping experience and help create an optimal urban store environment. Discover more about Longos supermarket...

Pusateri's world class food emporium

Pusateri’s is a world class food emporium known best for its exceptional products, finest foods, superior quality and customer service. Considered one of the top ten food shops in the world, Pusateri’s caters to the sophisticated palettes of Toronto’s food aficionados. Discover Pusateri's speciality food store...

Avril health food and energy efficient

Covering an area of 1.900 m2, this energy-efficient branch in Brossard (Canada) offers a larger choice of product than the first two. Combining the ‘natural lifestyle’ with an avant-garde design, the new health store features a digital menu board in its café, video boards in its produce and cosmetics sections promoting their products and deals, and a screen in its demonstration area with current and upcoming events. Characterized by an Italian design, the bistro has 60 seats where are served menus concocted by two renowned chefs: Patrice Demers and Marc-André Jetté. Must See, the cosmetics department redefining the standard for natural cosmetics, developed by architects specialized in this field. The branch becomes a unique architectural concept, where the supply of products is one of the most complete.

Source: Avril

Vans inside "Off The Hook" boutique

Early May 2011, Vans will open their first-ever partner store inside of Montreal’s (Canada) Off The Hook boutique. In addition to offering nearly the entire Vans range – from Vault, California, OTW, Girls, Surf and even Kids – the shop also includes the option to create and order custom Vans shoes in-store, an initiative previously only available to US-based online customers.

On the architecture side, Vans and OTH outfitted every inch of space with a custom wood, metal, brick (and a bit of carpet) build-out. The outside of the shop also currently sports a two-story high QR code corresponding with the opening.

Source: Off The Hook

Michel Jodoin puts the cool in cider

To entice visitors, the Michel Jodoin cidery (Rougemont, Canada) opted for a contemporary feel that takes its inspiration from the history of the establishment. The Champigny Raymond firm led the company in a renovation that goes way beyond a simple redesign. In the stock room, they carved out a space that is just as much a salesroom as it is a place to learn about the company. 

An essential element of the décor, the cases of cider set the tone with their bold graphic interplay creating various murals. Mounted cases arranged on dollies form small islands and serve as product displays. By dressing up the high walls with huge photographs from the family archives, history now gets told both in pictures and words. The cellar archways have been filled up with a wall of bottles, while the mezzanine now groups together the administrative offices and the new laboratory, reinforcing communication between the public and employees. The façade has also been totally restored. Clad in a sporty red, it shelters a covered terrace that serves as a waiting area, where one can sit and anticipate the good things to come.

Source: Cidrerie Michel Jodoin

Philippe Dubuc Boutique

The Philippe Dubuc boutique in Montreal (Canada) designed by the architect Gilles Saucier is considered as one of the most innovative examples of small store designs from around the world. 

Source: Phillippe Dubuc

Boutique Reborn

Despite its location in a difficult space that is long and narrow like a hallway, Reborn (Montréal, Canada) has a pleasing and well-paced design. The boutique’s height is accentuated by 10 rough-concrete panels placed behind steel hanging structures. A tall, polished black block elegantly camouflages what would be an unsightly stairwell while providing a counterpoint to the aligned suspended clothes. The counter, a simple rectangle of black steel, is situated close to this monolith. The jewellery displays, inserted directly into the wall, slide open vertically to optimize the store’s space. The use and presentation of all the materials in this store is done efficiently and astutely. And of course, there’s a healthy dose of sophistication thanks to the fashions and accessories carried there.

Source: Reborn

Joe Fresh

The very first free-standing Joe Fresh Style Flafship opened end of last year in Vancouver (Canada). The ground floor features ladieswear - sweaters, office casual, booties and outerwear. The second floor has more outerwear, active wear, intimates and men's clothing. 

Source: Joe Fresh

Avril - Supermarché Santé

Covering an area of 1,600 m2, it is with this branch in Longueil (Canada) that starts the concept of Avril. This isn’t your run-of-the-mill supermarket. First of all, there are the contents – only natural products – but there’s also the way they’re arranged according to a method that challenges the usual norms of food display. Characterized by a refined and modern architecture (AEdifica), the store has earned a commerce design competition: The Grand Prize of Créativité Montréal 2007 contest. This building meets the LEED criterias program (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), an international benchmark for design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings energy efficient.

Source: Avril

Avenue Road showroom by Yabu Pushelberg

 

Established as a showcase for seductive, sophisticated furniture, AVENUE ROAD is one of Canada’s premier venues for classic and contemporary furniture designs. The Toronto-based company offers a wide range of furniture, lighting and textiles by legendary designers such as France’s Christophe Delcourt and British designer Eileen Grey.

The custom-designed Toronto showroom space is simple and symmetrical, providing a flawless backdrop for the brand’s worldly furniture collections. As if entering a modern art gallery, Yabu Pushelberg has superbly emphasized the natural light and the vertical nature of the space, which unfolds into a series of vignettes as one continues to walk through. Guests entering the luminous main gallery will find themselves amongst the works of Konstantin Grcic, Arco and Atelier Vierkant, each brilliantly displayed underneath the main skylight. The combination of lofted ceilings and streaming light provides the ideal setting for showcasing both the collections and the ultra-modern space. And the latter section of the showroom appears as a walkthrough window connecting to the director’s office and the glass-encased boardroom.

Source: Avenue Road

Itsi Bitsi Cupcakes

This space, typical of the small stores on this stretch of Notre-Dame( Montréal, Canada), has no other structural charms beyond being well-proportioned and possessing two symmetrical windows situated on each side of the door. Yet even from the street, you can already see a lovely décor that is clean, modern, dominated by blond wood and has been dressed up with hints of colour. This store may serve cupcakes, but its style is much more Scandinavian than British. To the left, the sales counter is composed of windows and clever compartments. Inside, the well-aligned cakes form rows that progress by flavour. To the right, beautiful steel shelves hang over light wood storage cabinets. They serve to showcase a selection of objects and products that are as much a part of the décor as they are the commercial mission of the store. At the back of the space is a mural of giant photos that creates dynamism and reinforces the attention paid to the design.  

Source: Itsi Bitsi

 

Scotch & Soda Serves Up in Toronto

Scotch&Soda opened their first North American store in the Sherway Gardens mall of Toronto (Canada). The glass-front shop is filled with dark tones of wood and brick to provide a chic and cozy lodge feel, creating comfortable atmosphere for customers to select clothing to suit their style.

According to Eric Bijlsma, creative director for Scotch&Soda, quality over quantity is a developing trend in the retail market. To remain strong and competitive it's all about identifying and targeting the unique customer but keeping things simple. We just make products they consider attractive, of good quality, contemporary, genuine and affordable.

Source: Scotch&Soda

A new retail experience named "LOCALE"

The LOCALE (Montreal, Canada) brand and store design features art collaborations with local galleries, original works on display both in-store and throughout the brand collateral, and an open storefront resembling a local café. Furniture, fixtures and materials inspired by an artist studio complete the experience. The floor, wall and storefront display fixtures are inspired by sculptural forms, and elements such as the cash desk, overhead beams and pendant lighting reference mid-century workshops. The store evokes the idea of a place where creative people meet to create, learn, socialise and share ideas.

The store is distinct for participatory elements such as a large chalkboard ‘community wall,’ fashion magazine libraries and brand inspiration boards. The main ‘lounge’ area for trying on shoes is located in front of the store, so that activity is seen through the windows. Operable windows are featured, which helps in blurring the difference between ‘inside’ and ‘outside,’ and invite passers-by to be a part of the experience before they are inside the store.

Source: ALDO Group