[daptive]

Any idea who is leasing the rooftop addition? (Also, at the risk of beating a dead horse, does anyone know why downtown Toronto still only has one little, perpetually overcrowded Apple store? lol ) :/

They will be taking the ground retail of The One, when/if it gets finished.

 

[pw20]

Any idea who is leasing the rooftop addition? (Also, at the risk of beating a dead horse, does anyone know why downtown Toronto still only has one little, perpetually overcrowded Apple store? lol ) :/

I think one of the big restaurant groups but I don't know which one.

 

[Yegger]

I wouldn`t be surprised if it were the Chase Group. They already operate a couple of restaurants in the area along Temperance Street including Planta burger and the Chase Oyster bar

 

[Contra]

There are plenty of New Apple Stores with columns.

This brand new build in Thailand has columns:



This one in London, too:



The best comparison to 2 Queen is this store in Brooklyn, where they exposed the brick façade, and yes, kept the columns:



2 Queen is actually an ideal place for an Apple Store if they’re going to remain at the Eaton Centre (which I absolutely think they will). They’ve passed on multiple openings on prime spaces at the Eaton Centre including at Yonge/Dundas which Samsung ultimately took and next to the new bridge across from their current location which Harry Rosen took.

Apple no doubt has the pick of the litter on location given that they’re the highest grossing store per sq/ft at the Eaton Centre and drive traffic to the mall. That they said no to all those other opportunities tells me that they’re waiting for the absolute best. You can’t get any better than a Queen and Yonge address with a street entrance on the corner.

The one problem is that 2 Queen doesn’t connect directly to the mall other than a roundabout maze that’s previously required going through Sport Chek. If they took over Armani Exchange as well, that would allow Apple to have an entrance into the mall. If they took over m0851, that’d be a pretty big Apple Store and completely change the face of the Queen Street entrance.

All fair points but the examples you showed have columns very widely spread out. The columns in 2 Queen are super close. This would also be the Canadian flagship - that Brooklyn example is not so there's some liberties to break some of their grand rules. All I'll say is from what I heard when I worked there they are never opening another store or moving in the Eaton Centre. If a store is happening it's somewhere else in the city and Eaton Centre is staying put.

 

[ChesterCopperpot]

Man - there's nothing quite as *exciting* as Apple Store talk

 

[interchange42]

All fair points but the examples you showed have columns very widely spread out. The columns in 2 Queen are super close. This would also be the Canadian flagship - that Brooklyn example is not so there's some liberties to break some of their grand rules. All I'll say is from what I heard when I worked there they are never opening another store or moving in the Eaton Centre. If a store is happening it's somewhere else in the city and Eaton Centre is staying put.

Since we know that it's Harry Rosen going in, and since people don't seem to be able to stop themselves from derailing the thread, further Apple Store talk in here will be deleted—unless we get word that Rosen has cancelled.

42

 

[Contra]

Apologies, derailed things a bit!

 

[PMT]

Today:

 

[Edward Skira]

 

[ProjectEnd]

 

[salsa]

Feb 4th

 

[JasonParis]

It almost feels like Tower Records again!

 

[drum118]

March 24
The centre shaft is leaving very little room for the existing building. Some of the steel not in good shape, considering its only 123 years old. A few floors of steel and wooden floor beams have been removed

 

[CJinToronto]

I have a feeling that this will be occupied by Simons...

 

[zang]

I have a feeling that this will be occupied by Simons...

Not unless Simons has suddenly developed a previously unbeknownst small store concept. It's too small.

Editing to Add:

Simons does have their "La Maison Simons" store in downtown Montreal - They spawned off their housewares from the neighbouring full Simons store to a separate adjacent space. That however, is an expansion of a currently existing full store. A full Simons generally runs in the 100k sq.ft range.

ALSO:

It's been reported above that Harry Rosen has dibs on the place already.