The North Face located in Banff, Alberta has recently undergone renovations to improve accessibility and overall flow for consumers. The storefront will be celebrating its 15th anniversary this Fall and will continue to innovate product offerings to meet consumer trends.
“The North Face store is located smack dab in the middle of Banff Avenue, which is the main strip in our little mountain town in a national park. It is the oldest national park in Canada and we get around 6 million visitors a year. We opened our location in 2010 and we are going into our 15th year, and it has been really, really worn out and was due for a refresh,” says Lydia Wilson, the local co-owner of The North Face in Banff.
To make the space more modern, the renovation changes included a new floor plan, updated fixtures and signs, new counters, and new equipment.
“The North Face from Montreal coordinated with designers, retail experts, and engineers from SGK to design the store. At this point, they analyzed traffic patterns, where the brand is going, and what the brand wants to feature in terms of categories. They came up with a brilliant redesign and this past January 2024 we closed the store and we did it.”
Now wheelchair accessible
Wilson says the location reopened at the end of February. One of the biggest changes consumers can notice is the store pushed back its cashier desk into the back of the space to provide shoppers with a natural flow and additional space. Wilson says they also added a wheelchair lift.
“Our building is about 110 years old and it has a step up and stairs inside. A lot of the older buildings are not wheelchair accessible, which becoming accessible to all visitors is really important to the brand. So we put in a wheelchair lift and it has been working marvelously. It looks great, and it has been really simple and easy to use.”
Wilson says the brand also renewed all the furniture inside and is “the first store in Canada with this new suite.” Consumers can now find new light oak and black fixtures, along with two new dressing rooms which are also wheelchair accessible. Wilson says because consumers are usually buying heavy jackets, ski pants in the winter, and a lot of gear, the brand decided to provide more space in fitting rooms and lots of hooks for products and personal items.
“We have received comments about the vibe and the store feels great and people really like the modern oak slats behind the counter. The SGK came up with a large acrylic North Face logo that says Banff underneath and has a mountain silhouette behind it, so that is a real feature when people enter the store and a really nice design. Consumers are really loving the redesign as it is just lighter, brighter, bigger, and better.”
Along with using SGK from the United States, the brand used Chris Nadeau and Tiffany McKenna from The North Face Canada along with Morgan Shakotko, renovation co-ordinator and store manager and Byron Tarchuk from Tarchuk Construction Inc. Wislon says the whole team went above and beyond to make the redesign happen.
4600 feet high – “we feel privileged”
“We are the highest store in Canada at around 4600 feet and we feel really privileged. Everyday we get to sell items that are designed to be used in this type of environment. Some people buy hiking boots, snow sports gear, hiking packs and go out right away and use them in the environment they are designed to be used in.”
Unlike other North Face locations where after buying products there is a delayed sense of gratification, consumers who shop at the Banff locations are able to use products as soon as they step out the door. This also creates a unique sense of community, even for tourists.
“People will often pop off a plane and realize they do not have the right footwear for trails, so they will come in and grab a pair of hiking boots and just go have an incredible day and they will come in that evening to tell you about their day. So there are a lot of circle moments where people are inspired, they purchase, and then they come back and tell you about what they did. It is an incredible high for our team to be part of their trip and their experiences.”
Wilson also says due to the weather constantly changing, people will just come in and get what they need.
Staff are also equipped to help consumers find exactly what they need for their adventures and will also provide suggestions for tourists on what to do in Banff: “Most of our staff are here for the outdoors, so we are hiking, skiing, snowboarding, climbing, and biking. So just asking any one on our team what they love to do on a weekend is often a good place to start if somebody doesn’t have a plan.”
Outside of helping tourists, Wilson says they interact with the community by participating and providing sponsorships for local sports and school events.
“We are involved each year with the Banff Mountain Film Festival, and we have done different things over the years. We have done block parties, photo booths, and more – we have done a lot of different activities. The Banff Mountain Film Festival is a premier mountain film festival in Canada, and after films are screened and awards are given, here in Banff every October, the festival then tours around the world for a year – so we love being part of that.”
“Creating a community within a community”
As the team is coming from everywhere, even internationally, The North Face provides a lot of support to transition staff to the Banff lifestyle. Wilson says this includes providing practical assistance with basics such as setting up mail, banking, and finding housing to helping staff find furniture and kitchen appliances.
To create a sense of community within the team, Wilson also says she organizes social events such as camp-outs, barbecues, and staff outings for food and drinks. The brand also provides sponsorships to staff members who are interested in local sporting events and will cover the entry fees and will help those pursuing professional athletes careers. The Banff location provides a welcoming environment for each staff member and Wilson says this helps them adjust to their life in Banff, meet their personal goals, and to make new friends.
“I think often, they need a friend. They need a hand to hold. When you move to a new place, it is very disorienting so everything from how to get their mail sorted out can be a real challenge here in Banff. We regularly in the summer will do little camp-outs, little barbecues, go for staff beers, that kind of thing. So just creating a community within a community.”
Wilson and her husband also have another North Face location in Jasper, a few hours from Banff and close to another national park. This location opened in 2005 and Wilson says they will also be renovating this location within the next year or so, which will “allow some time to pass since completing renovations on the Banff location.”
Going forward, Wilson says as the competition continues to increase in Banff, she plans on staying fresh, innovative, and will stay on top of trends to “avoid becoming stale.”
“People have gone through a lot and they are more careful with their money, and they want to spend it on things that are really health giving as people don’t like to waste money as much. So investing in outdoor gear is something that scratches that itch of shopping and having new things that you can feel really good about because it is getting you out on the trail”.
Last month the Jasper North Face store was badly damaged in a large fire that destroyed nearly a third of the community. The store will reopen when permitted — and this week we learned that residents can return to the town on Friday, August 16.
