With the recent announcements that Target, Mexx, Jacob, Smart Set and Sony are all closing up their Canadian stores, it really got me thinking. Despite a primarily American-dominated retail scene, there’s more than one US chain that I really wish would come to Canada or expand their already-existing Canadian operations. I still maintain that we should be supporting local shops, whether it be in groceries, clothing or in virtually everything else, but if these stores were made available to me here in Calgary, I would definitely buy from them.
Charming Charlie
I first went into Charming Charlie in Phoenix and it was somewhat surreal. The location I was at was huge; two full floors and a bit overwhelming, to be honest. The store is mostly accessories, be that jewellery, bags, shoes and whatnot, but also has a small amount of apparel. Charming Charlie is most appealing because they are really affordable. I bought a really cute long necklace with a turtle pendant back at the end of June. I wear it a lot and it’s still in really good shape. For the $8.00 I payed for it, it was well worth it! Charming Charlie currently has four locations in Canada; there are two in BC and two in Ontario. I really hope that they open up a Calgary location sometime in the future.
Hot Topic
If there was a Hot Topic in Calgary, I would be broke all the time. Specializing in pop culture and music merchandise, Hot Topic is my #1 source for band shirts, really neat socks and pretty much anything else related to most of my fandoms. They carry some really unique items that you’d be hard-pressed to find anywhere else, not to mention that they always play good music and their staff are always really well-informed and helpful. The only two locations currently in Canada are in Toronto and Niagara. Supposedly they’re expanding further, but until then, I guess I’m just going to have to continue ordering online.
Nordstrom Rack
Essentially a more upscale version of Winners or Marshalls, Nordstrom Rack offers lots of brand-name goods at discounted p
rices. It’s definitely on the more expensive side, but it’s definitely a lot less expensive than actually shopping at Nordstrom. Since expanding into Canada, Nordstrom has only opened one location (Chinook Centre) but has plans to open another five locations between now and 2017. If it catches on, perhaps we may see them opening up their more affordable outlets sometime in the future.
