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Toronto non-mall retail (Odds & Ends)

  • Thread starter marksimpson7843
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Application: Building Additions/Alterations Status: Not Started

Location: 485 QUEEN ST W
TORONTO ON M5V 2A9

Ward 20: Trinity-Spadina

Application#: 14 268614 BLD 00 BA Accepted Date: Dec 30, 2014

Project: Multiple Unit Building Interior Alterations

Description: Interior alterations to all floors to change use from shelter to retail on ground floor and office on 2nd & 3rd floors.

getting rid of a SHELTER ??? -- for Retail ??? --
wow!.. not cool at all...
 
Is it still a shelter though ?? Didn't think it was, its in a prime location too !
 
getting rid of a SHELTER ??? -- for Retail ??? --
wow!.. not cool at all...

I'm not sure what this is supposed to mean. I don't think there is any maliciousness at play here - nobody is "getting rid" of anything as far as I know. As I understand it, the YMCA not longer had to lease this space on Queen West when they recently opened nearby the new Vanauley Street YMCA where they offer expanded services to the at-risk youth who were previously served at YMCA house.
 
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I'm not sure what this is supposed to mean. I don't think there is any maliciousness at play here - nobody is "getting rid" of anything as far as I know. As I understand it, the YMCA not longer had to lease this space on Queen West when they recently opened nearby the new Vanauley Street YMCA where they offer expanded services to the at-risk youth who were previously served at YMCA house.

I was unaware of this.. thanks for the response...!!
as it did seem malicious at first read- but now knowing the truth puts it into perspective..

this is a great reason, why this board is awesome, and everything is up for open discussion and debates..
~great way to create awareness..glad they expanded their services
 
Review of Muji from Nikkei Voice:

Muji has clothing, notebooks, face creams, and what seems to be their most popular items: pens. As soon as customers walk in they seem to be drawn to the pen stations. When we recently went back to the store, one clerk told Nikkei Voice that the pens are completely sold out and will be back in stock at the end of January.

According to the employee, customers would walk in and buy the pens by the fistful. And finding a space to even look at the refill might take a while as many the many hands and bodies of customers grab at the stationary stations.
 
Review of Muji from Nikkei Voice:

I find it fascinating how such a generic / plain / boring (yes there is not 1 thing special that you can buy in this store, and what you can buy is very overpriced at that) store and brand, is so popular, I guess its no different than how mcdonalds is very popular and viewed as up scale in many countries outside of North America.
 
The holiday shoppers really cleared them out. Forget about stationery right now - there is practically nothing left in that section.

AoD

There's practically nothing left in the store! The majority of sections have had all their stock cleared out, with lots of bare shelves. I think they completely underestimated the popularity of their products. The next big shipment of goods isn't coming in until sometime next week at the earliest.

One thing they need to work on is their pricing - many products only list the price in Yen on the tag and you're left wondering what the Canadian price is supposed to be. Oftentimes the Canadian pricing tags underneath the item are mismatched or missing altogether. Other items have such a high markup that it leaves you wondering who in their right mind would purchase it - a duvet that is marked as JPY 35000 (around CAD $350 at current conversion) is selling for over $750 plus tax! I'm sure the Muji quality is great, but you can get a nice duvet at The Bay for under $250 on sale!

Nevertheless, I'm happy that Muji is finally here - saves me from having to lug everything in my suitcase from Japan!
 
I went in tonight, and they said they are restocking some stuff tonight. I asked about the humidifier that they sold out of that I wanted, which I was previously told they would get more in around mid-January. She told me now not until April! Well, I won't really need one then, will I? Ugh. She quickly pointed out that it's not just a humidifier, but also an aroma diffuser. Anyway, that's kind of crazy to not have a product again for that long of a time. She said this store sold more than the NYC locations. I'm not sure if she meant that particular product, or just sales numbers in general.
 
There's practically nothing left in the store! The majority of sections have had all their stock cleared out, with lots of bare shelves. I think they completely underestimated the popularity of their products. The next big shipment of goods isn't coming in until sometime next week at the earliest.

Hey, I guess that's the ultimate expression in Japanese Zen minimalism!

One thing they need to work on is their pricing - many products only list the price in Yen on the tag and you're left wondering what the Canadian price is supposed to be. Oftentimes the Canadian pricing tags underneath the item are mismatched or missing altogether. Other items have such a high markup that it leaves you wondering who in their right mind would purchase it - a duvet that is marked as JPY 35000 (around CAD $350 at current conversion) is selling for over $750 plus tax! I'm sure the Muji quality is great, but you can get a nice duvet at The Bay for under $250 on sale!

Nevertheless, I'm happy that Muji is finally here - saves me from having to lug everything in my suitcase from Japan!

Yeah, the linens are way overpriced, and I got to wonder who in the right mind would buy them. Funnily enough, they do have the perfect lined knitted gloves (for me) - finally, gloves that fit like, well, a glove. Well worth it, just in time for the deep freeze.

AoD
 
I went in tonight, and they said they are restocking some stuff tonight. I asked about the humidifier that they sold out of that I wanted, which I was previously told they would get more in around mid-January. She told me now not until April! Well, I won't really need one then, will I? Ugh. She quickly pointed out that it's not just a humidifier, but also an aroma diffuser. Anyway, that's kind of crazy to not have a product again for that long of a time. She said this store sold more than the NYC locations. I'm not sure if she meant that particular product, or just sales numbers in general.

Some more stock has come in this week, so the shelves are not as "zen" as they were previously, though still nowhere near fully stocked. The pen and stationery section was full again, but the items are flying out as fast as they are coming in. There's always a crowd around the pens, so get them while they're still available!

I picked up what apparently was the last remaining aroma diffuser that they had in stock. The staff member said that both the small and large versions would be back in April at the earliest. She also said there is a back-order on the diffuser on a global basis, so it's not just an issue limited to the Toronto location but Muji in general.
 
I checked this place out, and I feel the same way about Muji as I do about Urban Outfitters.

And why is this in a thread about non-mall retail, when Atrium on Bay is clearly a mall.
 

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