Inside the gigantic new Roots flagship store at Yorkdale Mall

Inside the gigantic new Roots flagship store at Yorkdale Mall

The country’s unofficial outfitter of Netflix-and-chill nights is upgrading a few of its retail stores to “concept” status. First up is its Yorkdale home base, which has doubled in size and moved to the mall’s new wing, near Nordstrom and Uniqlo. A few things that make the space slightly more special than before: it resembles a rustic-luxe cabin in the woods, and there’s an entire section devoted to leather customization, where shoppers can emboss bags or try out various colour schemes and patch combinations on Roots’ classic award jackets. There’s also a bunch of Roots paraphernalia on display, like an “R” sign that hung over the brand’s first Toronto store, replicas of jackets owned by celebs including Katy Perry, and the machine that made the company’s first-ever product: the extremely comfortable (yet aesthetically questionable) negative heel shoe.

The changerooms are printed with seasonal scenery, and decorated with custom Norquay paddles:


 

The furniture is mostly made of reclaimed wood, and the Canadian flag was crafted from Ontario cedar:


 

The store’s façade, the rear of which can be seen from the footwear section, is made up of 3,000 logs:


 

Roots’ leather factory is only a few kilometres away, and customization requests get sent directly there:


 

Here’s a pair of the brand’s award jackets inspired by Wayne Gretzky: