Why Club Monaco Is Stealing Tricks From Scrappy Startups

Back in 1985, three Canadians opened a new store in downtown Toronto called Club Monaco selling fashion inspired by a lifestyle of glamorous global travel. But in case the clothes weren’t quite enough to entice customers, the store served coffee, too. At the original Queen Street West location–which is still up and running today–there was a cafe, where shoppers could linger over a gourmet sandwich or iced latte. From time to time, Club Monaco would turn the street outside the store into a little outdoor market, complete with flower stalls and pastry vendors. Even back then, before the retail apocalypse hit North America, causing thousands of stores to shutter every year, Club Monaco’s founders–Joe Mimran, Saul Mimran, and Alfred Sung–knew that a good shopping experience was about more than just a transaction between merchant and buyer. It should be pleasurable and entertaining. Read more at Fast Company.