Five years after Club Monaco closed one of Canada’s most recognizable fashion flagships, the landmark corner at Bloor Street West and Avenue Road appears set to begin a new chapter.
Luxury home furnishings retailer RH is said to be opening a store at 157 Bloor Street West in Toronto, according to industry sources familiar with the transaction. The company is said to be taking approximately 17,000 square feet in the historic Lillian Massey Building, including roughly 9,800 square feet of retail space and additional storage. The property was marketed by CBRE’s Urban Retail Team led by Arlin Markowitz and represents one of the most prominent retail vacancies on Canada’s luxury shopping corridor.
The deal brings a long-running search for a successor to Club Monaco’s former flagship closer to an end and adds another notable name to a neighbourhood that continues to attract some of the world’s most prestigious brands.
The End of an Era
For many Torontonians, 157 Bloor Street West was synonymous with Club Monaco. The retailer opened its flagship at the location in 1996 and remained there for approximately 25 years. During that period, Bloor Street evolved dramatically. What was once an upscale shopping district became Canada’s premier luxury retail corridor, attracting international fashion houses, jewellers and watchmakers while helping transform Yorkville into one of North America’s most sought-after luxury shopping destinations.
Club Monaco was part of that story. When the store closed in March 2021, Retail Insider documented its final days, capturing the end of a retail presence that had become woven into the identity of the neighbourhood.
The closure also created one of the most closely watched leasing opportunities in Canadian retail.
The Years Between
The answer to who would replace Club Monaco did not arrive quickly. In the years following the closure, the property entered a transitional period as brokers worked to secure a long-term tenant capable of maximizing one of the most valuable retail corners in the country.
The first notable move came in late 2023 when Brooks Brothers leased the space after relocating from elsewhere on Bloor Street. The arrival of the American apparel retailer brought activity back to the building and demonstrated that demand for the location remained strong, even as a longer-term vision for the property continued to take shape.
That chapter proved relatively short-lived. Following financial difficulties involving Brooks Brothers’ Canadian operations, the space changed hands once again.
Urban Planet later opened a temporary location in the former Club Monaco premises, generating attention because of the contrast between the fast-fashion retailer and the luxury brands surrounding it. A brief Bluenotes occupancy followed before the space once again became vacant.
Throughout those years, industry interest in the property never faded.
Large flagship opportunities rarely become available on Bloor Street West, particularly at a corner of this prominence. Brokers, landlords and retailers closely monitored developments, widely viewing the site as one of the most desirable retail opportunities in Canada.
Many expected the eventual tenant to be a luxury or aspirational brand capable of fully leveraging the building’s heritage character and highly visible location. The wait appears to have ended with RH.
A Building Unlike Any Other
Part of what makes 157 Bloor Street West so significant is that it offers far more than a storefront.
Completed in 1913, the Lillian Massey Building remains one of the architectural landmarks of the Bloor Street corridor. Owned by the University of Toronto’s Victoria College, the property continues to house university offices, classrooms and academic functions while maintaining a prominent retail presence at street level.
Its location is difficult to replicate. The building sits directly across from the Royal Ontario Museum, steps from Museum subway station and at the gateway to Yorkville. More than a century after it first opened, it remains one of the most recognizable commercial properties in Toronto.
As mentioned above, the leasing assignment was handled by CBRE’s Urban Retail Team led by Arlin Markowitz. Marketing materials prepared for the property highlighted more than 100 feet of frontage along Bloor Street West, wraparound visibility and a large patio opportunity. The space was marketed as a rare opportunity to secure a flagship presence on Toronto’s luxury corridor.
For brokers and retailers familiar with Bloor Street, the lease represented one of the most significant flagship leasing opportunities to come to market in recent years.
While RH is understood to be occupying approximately 17,000 square feet including storage space, the building itself is considerably larger. Commercial real estate records indicate the overall structure exceeds 60,000 square feet.
Why RH?
RH’s interest in the property becomes easier to understand when viewed through the lens of the company’s broader strategy.
Formerly known as Restoration Hardware, RH has spent years repositioning itself as a luxury lifestyle brand centred on architecture, design and immersive retail environments.
The company already operates a major gallery at Yorkdale Shopping Centre in Toronto and recently opened a large-format gallery at Royalmount in Montreal.
At approximately 9,800 square feet of retail space, the planned Bloor Street location will be significantly smaller than either of those properties. The Bloor Street store also will not feature the popular RH Restaurant concept housed in the Yorkdale and Royalmount Galleries.
The smaller store format raises an interesting question: what role will the store play within RH’s Canadian network?
The company has not publicly disclosed details regarding the concept, though the location suggests a different strategy from its large-format gallery model. Rather than serving as another destination showroom with a restaurant, the Bloor Street location will provide RH with a smaller and highly visible presence in the heart of Canada’s most affluent urban retail district.
The building itself also appears well suited to the brand. RH has developed a reputation for embracing historic architecture and creating retail environments that emphasize design, scale and atmosphere. Few properties on Bloor Street offer those characteristics to the same degree as the Lillian Massey Building.
The Transformation of Bloor and Avenue
RH’s arrival is part of a broader transformation taking place around the intersection of Bloor Street West and Avenue Road.
Over the past several years, the area has continued to strengthen its position as one of Canada’s most important luxury retail districts. The intersection has quietly emerged as one of the most concentrated luxury retail nodes in the country, bringing together fashion, jewellery, watches, hospitality and now luxury home furnishings within a few hundred metres.
Directly across the street, the redevelopment of the Park Hyatt Toronto introduced boutiques for Roger Dubuis, IWC Schaffhausen and Panerai, creating a new luxury watch destination. Jeweller L’Oro also opened at the property.
Nearby, luxury children’s retailer Bonpoint established a boutique, while international brands including Louis Vuitton, Tiffany & Co., Cartier, Gucci, Moncler, Saint Laurent, Hermes, Van Cleef & Arpels and Rolex continue to reinforce the area’s luxury positioning.
Further changes are expected. Tiffany & Co. will relocate to the corner of Bloor and Bay Streets in early 2027. Sources have also told Retail Insider that Louis Vuitton has been exploring future opportunities elsewhere on Bloor Street, although no formal plans have been announced.
Taken together, the activity illustrates how the luxury retail landscape continues to evolve as brands seek larger, newer and more prominent locations.
The Next Chapter
The lease comes at a time when RH continues to navigate a challenging housing market and ongoing scrutiny surrounding its debt load.
Yet the decision to secure one of Canada’s most recognizable retail addresses underscores the continuing appeal of flagship real estate in premier urban locations.
For Bloor Street, the transaction fills a vacancy that has attracted industry attention for years. For RH, it secures a presence on one of North America’s most prestigious shopping streets.
And for 157 Bloor Street West, it marks the beginning of another chapter in a story that has been unfolding for more than a century.
When Club Monaco departed in 2021, many wondered what retailer could justify one of the most prominent retail locations in Canada. Five years later, that answer appears to be RH.
More than a century after the Lillian Massey Building first opened, the corner remains one of the most sought-after retail addresses in the country.
More from Retail Insider:
- In Photos: The Last Days of Club Monaco on the Mink Mile in Toronto
- Urban Planet opens in former Club Monaco space on Bloor Street in Toronto
- Brooks Brothers Opens Storefront in Former Club Monaco Building on Bloor Street in Toronto [Photos]
