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Nordy Goes Sud
Mar. 9th, 2023 01:23 pmNordstrom is withdrawing from Canada. At the risk of being branded an elitist, I must say I am going to miss them.
Some retail analysts, as well as actual and prospective customers, have opined that Nordstrom was never a good fit for Ottawa, or even for Canada in general. But looking at the major purchases I've made there over the past 8 or 9 years, I would have to dispute that contention.
Probably the priciest item I bought there was my heavy-duty Outdoor Survival Canada coat. It's practical, well-made, machine-washable, and has kept me toasty warm in the most severe weather Ottawa has on offer. I also wore it on a trip to Iceland for a nordic noir literary convention. Unless we're talking Alaska, I don't think most residents of the U.S. would get a lot of wear out of it.
Then there's my Canada Goose jacket. It's not a really heavy duty one. It's ideal for this kind of in-between, winter-into-spring weather we get so much of here. It's warmer than a K-way or a windbreaker but not quite as warm as my ski-jacket. It's made in Canada. It would also be useful in many climates in many other parts of the world.
Then just last month, before I had any inkling that the Rideau Centre Nordstrom's might be closing, I bought a pair of Manitobah Mukluks there. I wanted a pair of low-rise, pull-on boots for those days when it seems overkill to bundle my feet into my lace-up Pajar Canada boots with the tuck-away crampons in the soles. These Manitobah Mukluks were made of plum-coloured suede that was almost the exact same shade as my ski jacket.
Those who say Nordstrom's isn't a good fit for Ottawa generally rely on the argument that their prices are too high and Ottawa lacks that critical mass of filthy-rich people you might find in other larger urban centres. Certainly they do carry some designer goods at eye-popping prices, but there's still plenty on offer in more moderate price ranges. And they do have sales occasionally, too.
One thing I really liked about them was their food and beverage services: a coffee bar on the main level and the Bazille full-service restaurant upstairs. On weekends, Bazille offered both lunch and brunch and their menus were pretty creative and vegetarian-friendly.
The one thing I won't miss about the store is their Nordy Club loyalty program. In order to participate, you had to own a cell phone. In order to get those Nordy notes, you had to text something back to them. Goodness knows why they couldn't just e-mail them to you once you accumulated enough points. I did manage to get a couple of them over the years but it was kind of an ordeal and I'm sure it must have turned off a lot of Nordstrom's well-heeled but techno-averse and privacy-conscious customers.
Of course the pandemic accounted for a lot of the failure of Nordstrom to make a go of it in Ottawa. Public servants no longer flocked downtown to work every day. People forsook bricks-and-mortar retail outlets in favour of online shopping. Another factor I haven't seen mentioned so far is the LRT. When the Rideau Centre Nordstrom's first opened, people taking public transit to downtown destinations caught buses that stopped on the Mackenzie King bridge, right in front of the store. Even if they arrived quite early, they could still grab a coffee at Nordstrom's coffee bar, which opened before regular store hours. If you wanted to go to anywhere in the Rideau Centre or By Ward Market and you were coming by bus, you pretty much had to walk through or past Nordstrom's.
But then the LRT opened and most buses no longer went downtown or across the Mackenzie King Bridge. The new transit stop was Rideau Station, at the other end of the shopping centre, in the depths of the tunnel under the Rideau Centre / By Ward Market area. There was no longer so much foot traffic at the Mackenzie King end of the shopping centre and Nordstrom's was no longer a place you might browse in through happenstance on your way to somewhere else.
Downtown shopping (or any shopping, for that matter) is not what it used to be, a few short years ago.
I wonder what will replace Nordstrom's?
If we're talking luxury department stores, I'd love to see Holt Renfrew return to Ottawa. Preferably one with its own café, like the one in Toronto. I miss Eaton's too, which was bigger than Nordstrom's and more of a real department store, if less luxurious than a Nordstrom or Holt Renfrew. Simon's has been talked about, but there's already a Simon's in the Rideau Centre. And maybe we could look at Les Ailes de la Mode, which enjoyed a brief career at Bayshore shopping centre.
I guess the department store is a dying breed. Sears is gone, as are Eaton's and Ogilvy's and Murphy Gamble and Morgans. The only real department store we still have in Ottawa now is The Bay, and even they are largely owned by American interests, despite their illustrious history.
Ideally I'd like to see a truly Canadian department store take its place. But if not, maybe we could look east rather than south? Perhaps a Harrods or Selfridges or John Lewis or Laura Ashley or Marks and Spencers? Or a Quelle or Kaufhof? I'm sure there are lots of possibilities out there!
Some retail analysts, as well as actual and prospective customers, have opined that Nordstrom was never a good fit for Ottawa, or even for Canada in general. But looking at the major purchases I've made there over the past 8 or 9 years, I would have to dispute that contention.
Probably the priciest item I bought there was my heavy-duty Outdoor Survival Canada coat. It's practical, well-made, machine-washable, and has kept me toasty warm in the most severe weather Ottawa has on offer. I also wore it on a trip to Iceland for a nordic noir literary convention. Unless we're talking Alaska, I don't think most residents of the U.S. would get a lot of wear out of it.
Then there's my Canada Goose jacket. It's not a really heavy duty one. It's ideal for this kind of in-between, winter-into-spring weather we get so much of here. It's warmer than a K-way or a windbreaker but not quite as warm as my ski-jacket. It's made in Canada. It would also be useful in many climates in many other parts of the world.
Then just last month, before I had any inkling that the Rideau Centre Nordstrom's might be closing, I bought a pair of Manitobah Mukluks there. I wanted a pair of low-rise, pull-on boots for those days when it seems overkill to bundle my feet into my lace-up Pajar Canada boots with the tuck-away crampons in the soles. These Manitobah Mukluks were made of plum-coloured suede that was almost the exact same shade as my ski jacket.
Those who say Nordstrom's isn't a good fit for Ottawa generally rely on the argument that their prices are too high and Ottawa lacks that critical mass of filthy-rich people you might find in other larger urban centres. Certainly they do carry some designer goods at eye-popping prices, but there's still plenty on offer in more moderate price ranges. And they do have sales occasionally, too.
One thing I really liked about them was their food and beverage services: a coffee bar on the main level and the Bazille full-service restaurant upstairs. On weekends, Bazille offered both lunch and brunch and their menus were pretty creative and vegetarian-friendly.
The one thing I won't miss about the store is their Nordy Club loyalty program. In order to participate, you had to own a cell phone. In order to get those Nordy notes, you had to text something back to them. Goodness knows why they couldn't just e-mail them to you once you accumulated enough points. I did manage to get a couple of them over the years but it was kind of an ordeal and I'm sure it must have turned off a lot of Nordstrom's well-heeled but techno-averse and privacy-conscious customers.
Of course the pandemic accounted for a lot of the failure of Nordstrom to make a go of it in Ottawa. Public servants no longer flocked downtown to work every day. People forsook bricks-and-mortar retail outlets in favour of online shopping. Another factor I haven't seen mentioned so far is the LRT. When the Rideau Centre Nordstrom's first opened, people taking public transit to downtown destinations caught buses that stopped on the Mackenzie King bridge, right in front of the store. Even if they arrived quite early, they could still grab a coffee at Nordstrom's coffee bar, which opened before regular store hours. If you wanted to go to anywhere in the Rideau Centre or By Ward Market and you were coming by bus, you pretty much had to walk through or past Nordstrom's.
But then the LRT opened and most buses no longer went downtown or across the Mackenzie King Bridge. The new transit stop was Rideau Station, at the other end of the shopping centre, in the depths of the tunnel under the Rideau Centre / By Ward Market area. There was no longer so much foot traffic at the Mackenzie King end of the shopping centre and Nordstrom's was no longer a place you might browse in through happenstance on your way to somewhere else.
Downtown shopping (or any shopping, for that matter) is not what it used to be, a few short years ago.
I wonder what will replace Nordstrom's?
If we're talking luxury department stores, I'd love to see Holt Renfrew return to Ottawa. Preferably one with its own café, like the one in Toronto. I miss Eaton's too, which was bigger than Nordstrom's and more of a real department store, if less luxurious than a Nordstrom or Holt Renfrew. Simon's has been talked about, but there's already a Simon's in the Rideau Centre. And maybe we could look at Les Ailes de la Mode, which enjoyed a brief career at Bayshore shopping centre.
I guess the department store is a dying breed. Sears is gone, as are Eaton's and Ogilvy's and Murphy Gamble and Morgans. The only real department store we still have in Ottawa now is The Bay, and even they are largely owned by American interests, despite their illustrious history.
Ideally I'd like to see a truly Canadian department store take its place. But if not, maybe we could look east rather than south? Perhaps a Harrods or Selfridges or John Lewis or Laura Ashley or Marks and Spencers? Or a Quelle or Kaufhof? I'm sure there are lots of possibilities out there!
