Edgy Toronto-based multi-brand luxury menswear retailer CNTRBND is relocating its Vancouver store this month from the city’s Yaletown area to Water Street in historic Gastown. The new Gastown store will be double the size of the Yaletown location and will be a ‘lifestyle concept’ featuring fashions as well as books, footwear and an apothecary.
The current CNTRBND store in Yaletown spans about 600 square feet and is located at 1060 Hamilton Street. The new Gastown store will measure about 1,200 square feet and will be located at 45 Water Street according to owner Christopher Casuga. The Water Street space was formerly occupied by eyewear retailer MOSH Framemakers which recently relocated to a new location in Gastown at 318 Homer Street.
Casuga said that CNTRBND is relocating to take advantage of the momentum in the Gastown area which includes high-end edgy retailers such as menswear retailer Roden Gray and unique fashion retailer Secret Location. Over the past several years unique retailers such as Le Labo, COS, Filson, Native Shoes, and Herschel Supply have opened in the area and this fall, French fashion brand Maison Kitsuné will open its first Canadian store and café on Water Street as part of Gastown’s ongoing transformation as a downtown retail destination. Gastown is Vancouver’s original city centre with some buildings dating back to 1886 when the city saw a devastating fire.
The Gastown CNTRBND space will be located next to American retailer Filson which opened at 47 Water Street in the spring of 2017.
DWSV Realty, under the direction of David Wedemire and Stan Vyriotes, negotiated the Water Street CNTRBND lease deal on behalf of the retailer.
CNTRBND recently introduced an apothecary concept and books to its other locations in the chain as well as an expanded assortment of footwear. CNTRBND carries a range of edgy brands, some unavailable elsewhere in Canada.
In Toronto currently, CNTRBND operates its flagship storefront at 135 Yorkville Avenue with a second location nearby at 26 Bellair Street which houses its ARCHIVES concept and some pop-ups. In Montreal, CNTRBND operates a store at 2185 Crescent Street in the city’s ‘Golden Mile’ near Holt Renfrew Ogilvy.
