Brooks Brothers.

I am pleased to announce that I there is a new location of Brooks Brothers in Toronto! Not only is it in a heritage building, but it is in my old neighbourhood-- the edge of Yorkville. How exciting!

Above, is  a street view of the Brooks Brother store that recently opened at the corner of St. George and Bloor Street in Toronto, ON. Sadly, I am will not be in Toronto for some time so I cannot give a personal review of the store, but I will re-state a review I read in the Toronto Star. I am going to quote a few excerpts from that article.


"Brooks Brothers is now marketing its heritage by locating what it calls it’s new Flatiron stores in heritage locations: It’s new Toronto store is a former bank that is located closer to the University of Toronto than Bloor Street’s tony boutiques — and it has done so just in time for back to school."

"And Brooks Brothers cleverly pushes this factor to the max in the store’s two-level interior, which is a deft mix of exposed brick walls, windows curtained and pendant fixtures shaded in classic rep-tie and rugby-stripe fabrics, with merchandise casually stacked, as if the chinos and cable-knits were classic works (which, in a way, they are) on antique library tables.

On the lower level, the former bank vault has been kitted out like a campus athletics change room, complete with boxer shorts displayed in vintage steel lockers. Where all this witty, old-school styling hits home is that this brand can actually cite itself: Vintage collegiate Brooks Brothers campaigns from the company’s own archives — and in a nod to our own schoolroom memories, a framed, tattered Canadian flag — decorate the walls."


I think it is smart that Brooks Brothers is moving closer to the University of Toronto Campus. It is likely that Brooks Brothers is opening themselves up to a new demographic-- the student. It's not that students don't already shop at Brooks Brothers, it is that to find a Brooks Brothers you need to go to the financial district. By moving closer to students, the store is opening up their products to a group of people who may not have heard of it before, or were not going out and specifically looking for the brand. It will be interesting to see whether this marketing strategy is successful and will be a trend in the future.

I am looking forward to getting a chance to check out this Flatiron Brooks Brother shop the next time I am in Toronto. If you, my lovely readers, get a chance to check out this shop please post your thoughts about it!