Department-store lovers will have another stomping ground in which to frolic starting fall 2014. As you've likely already heard, US fashion retailer giant Nordstrom is coming to Canada, and hopefully bringing with it all the goodies Canadians love to cross the border for.
The company officially announced Thursday the locations of its first four stores: In Vancouver at the Pacific Centre, in Calgary's Chinook Centre, at the Rideau Centre in Ottawa, where Nordstrom will replace and occupy the current Sears locations, and a brand-new store to be built at Toronto's Sherway Gardens.
Never been to a Nordstrom? It's a pretty fun department-store shopping experience, with a shocking amount of fashion brands to choose from, including both mid-range and high-end. We reckon Bonnie Brooks and The Hudson's Bay Company, as well as Holt Renfrew, will be keeping a close watch on Nordstrom, since the US retailer will likely appeal to the same Canadian shoppers HBC and Holts hold dear.
We've put together a quick primer on the shopping treasures Nordstrom has to offer. Here's hoping they make it across the border for 2014. Are you a Nordstrom lover? Do you think the arrival will bring good things? Let us know what you think in the comments below.
A Nordstrom Wishlist
1. Brands, Brands, Brands: Nordstrom is like the Duggars family of fashion - we're astonished at the sheer number of brands they carry, including heavyweights such as Alexander McQueen, Agent Provocateur, Alexander Wang, Jason Wu, Miu Miu, Manolo Blahnik, Rag & Bone, Diane Von Furstenberg, Stella McCartney, Erdem, ... the list goes on and on and on, and hopefully Canadians will reap the benefits (ironically, Benefit is not a brand they carry).
2. Nordstrom Perks: Nothing like a personal stylist service to make you feel like an A-lister, and the best part about Nordstrom's personal shopping service is, like J.Lo says, it don't cost a thing. The stores offer in-house stylists who can help you put your next fabulous look together, which considering the gazillion brands they carry, might not be a bad idea. There are also beauty personal stylists and wedding personal stylists on hand.
Another plus: They have a great in-house cafeteria. Can you call it a cafeteria if it has leather club chairs? Sure, why not.
3. Nordstrom Online: Nordstrom has a pretty fantastic online shopping site, with options to shop by brand, product category, gender, colour (product colour, not your own colour), as well as lookbooks, a fashion blog, trend guides and more. If they localize their site the same way Gap, Sephora and Banana Republic have, Canadians across the country, not just in the major cities, could become Nordstrom groupies.
4. Nordstrom Rack: No official word on this, and if it does happen, it might be a ways away, since they're just starting off with a handful of stores. But if you've been to a Nordstrom Rack, you will know that it's like a Winners, but more upscale. Deep discounts on top-name brands is the name of the game at Nordstrom Rack, so win-win, right? Oops, we mean..
Check out the Nordstrom stores coming to Canada:
