Gem by Carati:
Scotia Centre, 225 - 7
Ave SW, 403-264-8772,
gembycarati.com
Supreme Men’s Wear:
401 - 4 Ave SW,
403-266-4417,
suprememenswear.com
La Chic:
Bankers Hall, 315 - 8
Ave SW, 403-269-4775,
lachiccalgary.com
Neal’s Yard Remedies:
2207 - 4 St SW,
403-460-8400,
nealsyardremedies.ca
Southcente Mall,
100 Anderson Rd
SE, 403-271-7670,
nealsyardremedies.ca
Oska:
Bankers Hall, 315 - 8
Ave SW, 403-384-9772,
calgary.oska.com
Nordstrom:
Chinook Centre,
6455 Macleod Tr
SW, 587-291-2000,
shop.nordstrom.com
40
Neal’s Yard Remedies
The Wild Rose Beauty Balm was all it took for Lisa Costello to
be smitten with the organic skincare products in the signature
cobalt blue bottles. So much so that she decided to take a
leap from her cushy accounting career in London, England to
business ownership back in her hometown of Calgary.
In May of 2014, she opened the first Neal’s Yard Remedies
store in North America in the heart of Calgary’s 4th Street
shopping district. A year later, she opened a second location
at Southcentre Mall.
“Neal’s Yard Remedies is about making people feel
beautiful every day and really respecting the whole supply
chain that comes along with that,” says Costello. “So, it’s
about feeling good, doing good, looking good.”
As a sixth generation Calgarian, Costello comes from a
line of experienced business people. Her father, a chartered
accountant, owned the Subway franchise in Western Canada
and her mother owned a shop in Canmore.
One cold call to the London-based natural skincare
retailer was all it took to begin a partnership between two
successful entrepreneurial families.
“When you have your own business, it’s like your child,”
says Costello. “You’re investing everything into that and
to watch something grow that you helped grow is so
rewarding that I could never regret the decision to leave
[accounting].”
Oska
It was January 2006 when a serendipitous stop at a Soho
shop in New York City brought Alberta clothing retailers and
best friends Lida Lahola and Calli-Ann Rudiger face to face
with European label OSKA.
“It was so cold and I was desperately looking for a toque,”
THE ESSENTIAL CALGARY 2016/17
says Lahola. “So we entered this OSKA shop and we loved
everything we saw.” They left a note for the manager and
within weeks they ordered the women’s collection for their
boutique Callidas in Edmonton. Soon, they were selling out
faster than they could stoc k them.
“My customers range in age from about 30 to 90 and they
wanted something sophisticated but casual,” says Lahola.
“Finding eclectic, funky clothes for that age group isn’t easy.
But OSKA is a look you can build on year after year. I’ve had
a 90-year-old woman come in and buy OSKA season after
season. I’ve had women bring their daughters. My son’s
girlfriend wears it.”
The simple, clean-lined, comfortable style reflects “Asian
inspired silhouettes.”
Their success and enthusiasm drew the attention of Helmut
Bayer, the Munich-based owner of OSKA. He approached the
two women and they hit it off immediately. They struck up
a partnership to set up OSKA shops in Canada. The flagship
store, OSKA Calgary, opened in downtown Calgary in 2012 and
OSKA Vancouver followed suit in 2014.
Nordstrom
It was with huge fanfare and anticipation that 1,500 fashion
fans lined up in the wee hours of the morning in September
2014 to await the opening of Canada’s first Nordstrom in
Calgary’s Chinook Centre.
While fellow American retail giant, Target, had just closed
133 of its stores in Canada, things were looking much better
for Nordstrom as Calgarians and visitors flocked to the
upscale fashion retail for unique brands and exceptional
customer service. Lisa Berg, Calgary’s Nordstrom’s general
manager, says it’s difficult to compare the two companies.
“It isn’t apples to apples,” says Berg. “We’re approaching
things differently. We’re opening six stores over a total of
three years as compared to opening more than 100 stores
upfront. Now that we have four stores up and running in
Canada, we’re learning from customers about what they like
and what we can improve upon to best serve them.”
Nordstrom opened two locations in Toronto in the fall of
2016 while Vancouver got its store in the fall of 2015. Ottawa
was second to Calgary with a Nordstrom opening in March
of 2015. Canadian openings of Nordstrom Racks are soon to
follow.
“Canada continues to exceed our top-line expectations,”
says Berg. “Our new store plans are long-term investments
for us. Our focus is on better serving our customers. When
we’re able to provide good service, we believe good results
will follow.”
PHOTOGRAPH: COURTESY NORDSTROM
Carati:
Bankers Hall, 315 - 8
Ave SW, 403-264-5557,
carati.ca
this as an art. I’m a good tailor and I enjoy what I’m doing
here, and if I can make a guy look and feel like a million
bucks, I feel good about it.”
Like father, like son.
Along with devoted employees and loyal clientele, a whole
new wave of customers is discovering Supreme for the first
time.
“Calgary is the most awesome place to be because it’s
young, vibrant, and the younger male is becoming fashionaware,” says Darren. “The millennials don’t want to dress
and look the same as everyone else. They want to express
their uniqueness in every way they can.”
They’ve come to the right place.