It’s never just about the merchandise… customers still flock to traditional retail stores for in-store experiences that online merchants just can’t mimic. These one-of-kind experiences are built upon superior service levels and strong store designs that strive to excite all of a customer’s senses. We kept our eyes peeled across the city and spotted 10 stores with the best design in Toronto. 

Aesop Skincare

We are obsessed with this Aesop store on Queen Street West in Toronto. With luxurious samples on hand before even stepping into the store, you know you’re in for a great retail experience inside. This store’s design is spa-like, modern and uber minimal. Test out any product of your choosing at the luxurious sink in the centre of the store. 880 Queen St. W

Inside Aesop (Image: Instagram/@aesopskincare)

Lululemon

We love this new Lululemon concept store on Queen Street West in Toronto. Not just a retail space, here you’ll find a cafe, interactive gallery, lounge area and studio space (not to mention, there’s an Instagram-worthy shot around every corner!) Our fave spot? It’s a tie between the oversized marquee sign at the entrance and the Toronto mural by the hemming station. 318 Queen St. W. 

Inside Lululemon Queen St. (Image: Instagram/@lululemon)

The Local

Lululemon is at it again with another new store concept. Located on Ossington Avenue in Toronto, this one is just for the boys. The Local is half retail store, half community space. Strolling through this modern and masculine shop, you won’t spot a flashy red logo in sight. You will, however, find art on display, a bar, barber services and gaming area. 6 Ossington Ave. 

Inside the Local (Image: Instagram/@c_mille)

Black Rooster Decor

Get ready to be wowed! Hop on over to the Instagram page of Black Rooster Decor and we bet you’ll be itching to redecorate in seconds. A shopping trip to their Queen Street East showroom in Toronto will leave you in awe. This is not a traditional decor store, but a house of unique and stylish, high-quality pieces for every room. 1025 Queen St E. 

Inside Black Rooster Decor (Image: Instagram/@blackrooster)

Nespresso Boutique Bar

Not your typical neighbourhood cafe, this Nespresso Boutique Bar in Yorkville is a treat for the eyes. Nespresso users know that you just can’t pop into your local grocery store to pick-up your next capsule. Therefore, a trip to this Toronto coffee boutique is worth the shopping trip in order to take in the bright product displays, high ceilings and stunning chandeliers. 159 Cumberland St.

Inside Nespresso (Image: Instagram/@sundaymorningcoffee)

Village Juicery

There’s nothing like an Instagram-worthy shop where the design aesthetic is as good as the product. We are obsessed with the Village Juicery location on Roncesvalles in Toronto for its clean lines, natural materials and sleek design. This large store features a modern, multipurpose workspace for customers to sit, drink and work or play. 99 Roncesvalles Ave. 

The Village Juicery (Image: Instagram/@emily_evs)

The Detox Market

We are obsessed with green products for the body and home, but who knew that we could get them all in one elegant and unintimidating store? Located on King Street West in Toronto, you’ll love The Detox Market for its natural and inviting store design, informative staff and wide product assortment (all without the sales pressure and bright lights of traditional department store beauty counters). 420 King St W. 

Inside the Detox Market (Image: Instagram/@fullyfearless)

Warby Parker

Eyeglasses store or library? We love the design of this sleek little shop in Toronto. The Warby Parker store on Queen Street West is worth a peak for your next pair of specs. It’s all in the details here with shelves lined with books by Canadian authors, elegant brass lamps and a Reference Desk as a checkout counter. 684 Queen St W. 

Inside Warby Parker (Image: Instagram/@WarbyParker)

½ oz. Cocktail Emporium

Popping into this colourful Kensington Market shop in Toronto is always a fun experience. From its bright pink exterior, you know you’re in for a treat before even stepping foot inside the ½ oz. Cocktail Emporium. We recommend checking out this creative retail space with Miami-inspired vibes if you love to mix a good drink or simply appreciate a pretty bar cart. 20 Kensington Ave. 

Cocktail Emporium (Image: Instagram/@raizacostaofficial)

Deciem | The Abnormal Beauty Company

We love this Yorkville Deciem location with a subtle storefront that is meant to surprise and delight busy Toronto commuters. This pint sized ‘abnormal’ beauty boutique is nothing like what you’re used to. Here you’ll find bright white walls, open industrial shelving and a large workspace in the centre of the store to test out products. 1240 Bay Street, Unit 113.

Deciem (Image: Instagram/@deciem)

Did we miss any of best-designed stores in Toronto?

Featured Image: Inside Deciem via Instagram/@andreannewrites

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In Canada and the United States, online shopping is growing at a faster rate than brick and mortar retail sales, and brands who fail to adapt are suffering. Shopping online is easier, cheaper, and more comfortable, while the accessibility of information, choice and availability can make getting what you want online much more simple than in store. According to the Toronto Star, online sales in Canada are growing at a rate of 15% per year compared to 3% for in-store retail sales. The reasons behind this shift to online shopping are complex and varied, but it is safe to assume that the increasing security, convenience and pervasiveness of e-commerce has altered the retail landscape forever, making an online store a must for any brand that wants to stay competitive.  

However, traditional retail isn’t doomed and more online shopping doesn’t spell the immediate death of the physical storefront. Even online-first brands like Casper, Warby Parker and Frank & Oak see the benefits of brick and mortar, because they recognize there will always be consumers who want to be able to physically see, touch, try and/or hold the product they’re about to purchase. Brands need both because these two channels serve different purposes. While brick and mortar spaces allow for the physical interactions with products, people and space, online stores are a better, more efficient way for customers to actually buy the things they want and need.

The #CasperCottage pop-up shop in Toronto (Image: Instagram/@Casper)

This should be seen as an exciting opportunity for retailers to elevate the use of their physical spaces for purposes that go beyond basic business transactions. If the act of moving inventory and taking money can be done better online, then that is where those activities should take place. Physical stores should be used for creating spaces that don’t just provide a good or service, but allow consumers to engage with the brand on a deeper and more emotional level. The use of physical space should then be optimized to strengthen the organization’s brand, increase customer loyalty and develop a two way customer-brand relationship.  

One of the few brands in Canada that is doing this well is Nike. They operated the Nike Running Club out of the Toronto Nike Loft, a “loft and chill out space” situated in downtown Toronto. Although the space was also used to test and promote new products, the primary intention for was to create a gathering place for runners. This space was not used to directly sell products but to incorporate a social aspect into running; to keep runners accountable and motivated, and to create a Nike branded support system to help them reach and surpass their athletic goals. Although they removed the business transaction from the customer-brand relationship, Nike used the space to create a community around Nike’s brand to promote several of the values tied to brand identity.

Nike Run Club (Image: Instagram/@NikeToronto)

In early 2017, Nike redesigned the loft to shift away from runners and engage with a more style focused customer segment. The space now showcases the myriad of ways in which you can customize your sneakers using NikeID (an online sneaker customization engine), offers “SNKR Services” which can winterize your sneakers (very important in Toronto) as well as a few areas to relax and hang out. Although the space is no longer as community oriented as it once was — Nike still offers free workouts across the city — this is not exactly a store where one goes to make a purchase. The loft is still very much a space that is reflective of the NikeID brand, allowing customer to explore and interact with the brand, and become familiar with its value proposition.

More and more of the stuff we buy is going to be bought and sold online, and as the technology and attitudes around e-commerce change this trend will only increase. Physical stores are no longer the only place where customers can buy the things they want and need, and this should be seen as an opportunity for brands to get creative with how they use their physical space.

How brands do this will vary brand to brand because the uses should be a reflection of the unique values that a given brand represents. But it’s safe to say that we’ll see business transactions take a secondary role in physical stores which will be used to develop stronger relationships with customers and build greater meaning behind brand purpose, values and identity.

Do you think retail stores are changing for the better? Share your opinion in the comment section!

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