Vancouver gets more shopping options. More of the same?
I recently noticed on my almost daily drive through the South Granville shopping area that the papered windows where the Kim-John (not Kim-Jong the Korean dictator, which is what I almost wrote) store used to be are now sporting some signs indicating that Williams Sonoma will opening there soon. The Vancoueriste blog noted last month that is appears from this Wikipedia entry that they will me opening downtown in the revamped Pacific Centre as well.
Williams Sonoma is the parent company to Pottery Barn which opened to much excitement at Granville and W. 10th Ave. a few years ago. Williams-Sonama's tag line is "the place for cooks" and it would appear (I've never been to one) that they mostly sell kitchen equipment as well as some home accessories and furniture. This would seem like the right location for such a shop with their Pottery Barn as well as Restoration Hardware down the street as well as Urban Barn, Moe's, Indutrial Revolution and some smaller home decor and furntiure shops just north of Broadway. On the expensive kitchen stuff front Cook Works is just around on Broadway and Ming-Wo is there on Granville as well.
But really! Do we need another shop like this? This area is full of this stuff. Williams Sonoma appears to have been very successful in the U.S. and I am sure they know what they are doing. It is a shame thoughto see a long standing locally owned shop like Kim-John pushed out of their location to make way for another American chain.
I am more interested in the Swedish chain of H&M which will also be opening in Pacific Centre later this year.