Patagonia announced it will open its first Canadian retail store in Toronto in the historic Gurney Stove Works building at 500 King Street West. The retail store will open for business on Dec. 15.
Constructed in 1872 by Jamieson and Carroll, the former Gurney Stove building sits in the heart of Toronto”s historic district in the one-time bustling industrial center.
Patagonia said the building is yet another in a long line of historic structures that Patagonia has chosen for its retail locations, leveraging historic and cultural value of reclaimed structures and providing an opportunity for adaptive reuse that aligns with the company's emphasis on preservation and sustainable development. Patagonia will occupy the first floor of the facility.
Patagonia has donated 1% of its sales to environmental groups every year since 1985.
“We selected Toronto for our first Canadian store because of the large community of outdoor enthusiasts, their passion for outdoor sports and the environmental consciousness of area residents,” said Robert Cohen, vice president of Patagonia's Global Retail Division. “We're looking forward to introducing Torontonians to the Patagonia brand through this bricks-and-mortar presence.”
Since 1985, Patagonia has given away in excess of $38 million to more than 1,200 environmental organizations. Each Patagonia store also has its own grant budget in the form of money and product, to help environmental groups in their backyard.
As part of the store's environmental mission, and in celebration of the first store in Canada, Patagonia Toronto will be accepting nominations from customers for local environmental organizations to be considered for the store's first environmental grant. Forms and further information will be available at the store, and store employees will select the group based on the company's environmental guidelines. Group selection will be announced in February, 2011.
Patagonia, with sales last year of over $330M, has 26 stores, including six outlet locations, in the U.S.
