The new Simons department store under construction at Park Royal South is no cookie-cutter building.
Peter Simons, CEO of the Quebec-based fashion retailer, stands across the street from the site of his future West Vancouver location on a recent sunny day and motions to the textured finish on the exterior wall. Inspired by the heritage of the Squamish First Nation, specifically Salish weaving, the facade is comprised of off-white concrete panels featuring a traditional repeating chevron pattern. The panels are stacked, some vertical, some horizontal, like blankets.
"It's part of our DNA as an organization," Peter says of the locally informed design. "We've always worked really hard to make our stores unique and we've put a lot of work into the architecture and the design and the physical experience."
Designed by architecture firm Lemay Michaud, which has done a number of other Simons locations, the completed Park Royal store will be 100,000-square-feet over two storeys with an offset second floor and glass atrium entrance.
The weaving pattern on the outside wall will complement an art installation by Coast Salish artist Jody Broomfield. His piece, Kayachtun, meaning welcome, is a sandblasted granite relief, which will be located on the exterior south entrance of the store. Broomfield's design pays homage to the spakwus, meaning eagle.
Meanwhile, West Vancouver artist Bobbie Burgers is working on a wall sculpture comprising more than 50 ceramic flowers. Entitled Innocence Disobedience, the work will be installed in the women's wear department.
Also contributing to the esthetic of the new Simons store is West Vancouver artist and novelist Douglas Coupland, who is creating a piece to fill the two-storey central atrium. His Bow Tie sculpture features two brightly coloured striped cones suspended in such a way that the tips meet.
Peter says his company has a long history of working with Canadian artists. Existing Simons stores in other cities feature installations by Guido Molinari (Montreal), Pascale Girardin (Quebec City) and Philip Beesley (Edmonton), to name a few. Commissioning renowned artists is a financial investment, but one that Peter sees as valuable.
"At some point you just have to have a bit of faith that it creates an environment and an experience that's good," he says of incorporating art into the retail space. "Some people relate to it on an esthetic level, other people come in and I think they sort of see how the space can relate to supporting the artistic community locally and the Canadian artists."
Peter, who calls himself "a bit of an architecture nut," is in charge of the company's expansion and construction projects and has been working with architects, artists and designers for years."A lot of people don't realize what the architecture is doing," he says, explaining that spatial design matters to the customer experience, if only on an unconscious level. "They subconsciously feel comfortable," he says, adding, "I think art and architecture all fit together like that."
Simons was founded in 1840 by John Simons as a dry goods store in Quebec City and remains a private, family-run business to this day. Peter, who represents the fifth generation to lead the fashion retailer, runs the company with his brother Richard. There are nine Simons locations in Montreal, Anjou, Laval, St. Bruno, Sherbrooke, three in Quebec City, including the headquarters in Old Quebec, and Edmonton. Six new stores, including the Park Royal location, are in the works across Canada. Even with this current Canadian expansion, Peter says his company remains relatively small.
"We're still a really small player in a huge global market. We're really fighting as hard as we can to survive," he says, explaining that supporting local artists and local charities are some ways the company distinguishes itself from its international competitors.
When it comes to merchandise, the West Vancouver Simons location will feature women's and home fashions on the first floor with menswear, a café and customer service on the upper level. The store will carry Simons' private label brands (Contemporaine, Icône, Twik, Miiyu, Le 31, Djab and iFive), in addition to well-known national brands and selections from international designers such as 3.1 Phillip Lim, Kenzo and Balmain.
"I find in the larger cities, in the more cosmopolitan cities, there's a stronger demand for designer, a little bit more edgy merchandise that's in our assortment," Peter says.
Simons is set to open in mid-October.
