Like its neighbours the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League recently, iconic Canadian luxury fashion retailer Henry Singer has experienced tremendous success since relocating its location to Edmonton’s downtown ICE District.
The new flagship store opened in early December in about 10,000 square feet of space and includes three different concepts Parlour Barba, Bar Henry and Shoe Shine Shack which are operated by partners.
The previous store at the Manulife Place building, just a couple of blocks away, was home for the retail presence for more than 20 years.
“It’s been great,” said Jordan Singer, President of Henry Singer. “It was a long-time coming for us to be able to make the move and once we got there it was worth the wait. We had an absolutely phenomenal December which was far better than expectations and it was just kind of a huge relief to get open and to get running in the new shop.
“It’s a new generation of concept for Henry Singer. We’re no longer simply a clothing shop. We’re a lifestyle destination. We have other components of what we’re doing.”
Henry Singer is the anchor tenant of Western Canada’s tallest highrise, the new Stantec Tower in ICE District, one of Canada’s largest mixed-use projects.
Parlour Barba is a barber shop and hairstylist. Shoe Shine Shack does shoe shines and care and repair for shoes and leather goods and products. Bar Henry is a European style aperitivo bar where people can come for a cocktail or a glass of wine and snacks. It will soon be open in the daytime for coffee and light bites throughout the day.
“They’re all attached, connected and within our footprint. They all flow together with us and they can also close off from us and operate unto themselves on their own hours,” said Singer. “We brought in partners to run each that are experts in the space.”
Bar Henry is operated by well-known restaurateur Daniel Costa, founder of Bar Bricco, Uccellino and Corso 32.
“It’s a concept we are inspired by, that we’ve experienced, particularly in northern Italy,” said Costa, whose Italian roots are in Campania. “The food is snacky, light and quick bites, but the pace is leisurely and a place where we want people to feel like it is their second home.”
In 1938, with just $300 in his pocket, Henry Singer, Jordan’s grandfather, opened a modest made-to-measure shop around the corner from the $500-million Stantec Tower.
Today, Henry Singer is the largest independent family-owned retailer in the country. The launch of its new flagship helped mark the brand’s 85th birthday year. The brand also has a store in downtown Calgary at the Eighth Avenue Place tower complex.
Jordan Singer said the new concept store is aimed at giving customers a more unique and specialized experience.
“We felt the best way to do that was to team up with the best local partners and create this sort of unique experience that flows through these different experiences that also combine together, layer on top of each other, to become the ultimate destination,” he said.
It’s no secret that the downtown cores of many Canadian cities have faced their challenges over the last couple of years. Issues of safety, homelessness, undesirable characters hanging out and less office workers have taken their toll on many urban centres.
The new Henry Singer location is in the downtown just a few blocks away from many of those problems. And of course some of those problems exist as well in the spanking new ICE District area.
“We’ve always believed in downtown. We’ve been in downtown Edmonton for 85 years and going on 86. We want to be part of sort of the regentrification of downtown Edmonton. We do believe in the future there. We do believe in ICE District, which is obviously where Stantec Tower is,” said Singer.
“And we think the future there is bright and we have to be part of that. We’ve moved in there. We feel a tremendous amount of positive energy. The vibe in ICE District is exciting and energetic, vibrant. We want to see that continue of course. And we want to see downtown continue to clean up and regentrify around us as well as we make that statement to do so.”
ICE District is centered on Rogers Place, home of the Oilers. Singer said the city and ICE District is feeling the energy that a successful Oilers’ season is bringing.
With the move into the new location, are there plans to expand the brand?
“We were so focused on getting Edmonton done. That’s been all encompassing for the last two years, coming out of COVID,” said Singer. “Now that it’s up and running, the goal will be to iron out the kinks to make sure that it’s running perfectly smoothly and once we get to that stage which is in the very near future then I can really turn my attention to what’s next and of course as an entrepreneur we’re always thinking of ways of growth. How can the business continue to grow? We will undoubtedly be considering what’s next. We sort of just need to catch our breath.”
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- Ambitious ICE District Development Aims to Transform Downtown Edmonton
- Henry Singer to Relocate Downtown Edmonton Flagship Store to the ICE District [Interview]
Additional Photos from Henry Singer Ice District
What a stylish, beautiful store! I hope they have continued success. It’s a pleasant change to read about such a retailer opening downtown instead of West-Youknowwhere. They really put their money where their mouth is. Perhaps they can help to create a wave of optimism for the area. Good for the city centre!
The store is beautiful. But leaving West Edmonton Mall was a huge mistake on the part of Henry Singer.