Locale shoes; a new shoe boutique from the minds at Aldo

One of the first Locale shoes is now open at Sherway Gardens. It is a new concept from the ultra sucessful Canadian brand Aldo.

While I still see a bit of the Aldo brand when you walk into the store, I am reminded more of my favourite bistro as opposed to a shoe store.

Locale seems to be melding the sensibilities of an indie shoe boutique with that of a mall chain. Its a concept that will work well in my opinion.



More important than the feel of the store are the shoes. Locale is different from any other Aldo Groupe brand. Many of the Aldo Groupe stores carry their own line as opposed to featuring shoe brands from other companies.

Locale also seems to be targeting a different customer. One that is brand concious and has more sophisticated tastes.

The shoes are trendy but wearable and you don't seem to see as many sky high stillettos as you might at Aldo.

I can actually see myself shopping in this store more so than any of the other Aldo Groupe stores because it gravitates somewhere between ultra trendy and ultra practical. It melds the best of both worlds with studded flats and cute booties.

Some of the brands at Locale are recognizable like GEOX, Clarks and Franco Sarto.

Other Locale shoe brands are not readily available in Canada like Miss Mooz and M Jus.

Still others are Canadian Brands that were completely off my radar until now, like Blondo and Pajar.

I am looking forward to seeing what brands pop up for Spring 2011 as the brand list is growing.

Much like an Aldo store the back wall is lined with handbags and accessories. Look for bags from Canadian Vegan line Matt & Natt.



Another thing you will notice when you walk into Locale is the lack of promotional posters. Instead the walls are full of shoes and featured local artists. Currently featured is Dessa Harhay.

The mixture of local art and windows that open onto the mall courtyard add to the feeling that Locale is more than your average mall shoe store.

You can find Locale Shoes in Toronto at Sherway Gardens. ***Update 2011*** There are now additional locations at Yorkdale Mall, Fairview Mall, Eaton Center, Vaughan Mills, Square One, Shops at Don Mills and Scarborough Town Center.

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