Northern Reflections heads to the Beach
Clothing retailer has been looking to move to the neighbourhood for a long time
You may remember Northern Reflections as the clothing company with loons printed on oversize forest green sweatshirts.
Not any more: the loons and cottage-like hues are gone, something Beach residents will discover when the Etobicoke-based retailer opens its very first Toronto-proper store in the Beach mid-April.
The new store will move into 2064 Queen St. East, in the former longtime location of Cotton Ginny, which has relocated nearby. The Urban Cotton Company, which occupied the space for less than six months most recently, has closed.
Northern Reflections president Lalonnie Biggar says the company is in the throes of repositioning its brand based on customer feedback.
“We had to move beyond being just about fleece and twill pants and denim,” Biggar says.
“We have respect for our heritage but we have to move on.”
The new direction for the company includes designing clothing and accessories in form-flattering styles and in colours and shapes geared toward the busy 40+ woman who’s professional and with a family.
Part of the new direction is also diversifying some of the store locations. Though there are a few streetscape Northern Reflections stores, most are located in malls.
They’ll never leave the mall behind, Biggar says, but the notion of being in the community is just as important.
“We’ve been wanting a spot in the Beach for a while,” says Biggar, who lives nearby in the Scarborough Bluffs.
“It’s about the lifestyle.”
Biggar says she hopes the store will be open a few days before Easter or by Easter Weekend, in time for the Beaches Easter Parade.
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