Canadian Urbanism Uncovered
Read more articles by Dylan Reid
I can understand why closed-down liquor stores around the G20 summit area might get boarded up this weekend, but for a clothing store (on Queen west of Spadina) to do so seems like overkill. None of the other stores on this block are boarded up (including rival clothing chain American Apparel).
Maybe they just wanted to get into the spirit of the weekend, but when you spraypaint an assurance that you’re still open over your boarded-up window, it all seems a little silly.
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11 comments
Interestingly, when Urban Outfitters was spreading in the 1990s across America, and into Canada, they always featured shattered windows (like car windshield safety glass – shattered, but intact) in the front of all stores. It portrayed their “outsider” status, etc etc. There was a good essay online about this, back in teh 1990s, on altculture.org (or something like that — who remembers that early website?) – but it’s gone.
They don’t do it anymore. But these boards seem in that (dumb) tradition.
Some of the NYC locations still have the “shattered glass” look.
I think that if some maligned rioters wanted to smash a symbol of the moneyed establishment, though, Urban Outfitters would be a logical one. Founder and owner Richard Hayne is an ulta-conservative free-market capitalist, who counts Rick Santorum among his beneficiaries.
Not as much as the Gap, though.
It seems that Urban Outfitters may have out-hipstered themselves.
Last I remember, the Yonge location still has the glass like that. I don’t think I’ve gone past there in a year or so though, so it may have changed.
Does this mean we need to start socially profiling hipsters when we walk past large groups of them? With the deep V-neck tees and above-knee denim cutoffs, I don’t really see how they’d be packin’…
Lock your doors next time you drive through the Annex!
I didn’t know about the “smashed glass” look. I’m surprised they didn’t keep the windows exposed in the hope of getting that look for free …
“I Assure You, We’re Open”
Right on, Keith. Urban Outfitters is pretty sleazy; glad to see this one scared like this.
Ironically, the news just reported that the Urban Outfitters on Yonge got a window smashed. Or is it just the special effect that was already there?
This post looks pretty silly given today’s events.
Doesn’t seem so silly now (Saturday), does it?
The whole mess is a shame — summits should be urban events, but the anarchists and mob-rule protesters mean that from now on they will have to be held in remote locations.
Toronto tried, but even with all those cops and fences you just can’t lock down an entire city. Now the city has an underserved black eye.
unfortunately it seems like we spoke (or joked) a little too soon.