From the Grocery Aisle to Queen West

You can always bet that even the most stylish of girls have at least one item from Joe Fresh in their wardrobe. Sure it's not high fashion but the clothes are wearable and (most importantly) affordable for downtown girls who have to sacrifice a little bit of wardrobe budget to pay the rent every now and then. And sure enough those folks at Joe must be doing something right because yesterday Loblaws announced that they're taking the cheap chic clothing line to the mainstream retail world and planning to open a 8, 000 ft Joe Fresh retail location right smack dab in the middle of Queen Street West. While the Queen West area used to be a haven for independent boutique owners and artist types (the real type not the pseudo hipster type) the retail strip has transformed over the past decade into something of an Eaton Centre al-fresco. The new Joe store will be sharing the retail 'hood with some pretty high profile neighbours - including H&M, American Apparel, Club Monaco and Urban Outfitters all within a couple blocks.

Blame it on the recession and the tempting lure of a good bargain but looks like this this former grocery store brand is making all the right moves to become a real home grown success story in the world of Canadian fashion. From debuting the Spring Collection at L'Oreal Fashion Week, introducing a cosmetics line, and now the move to one of the city's most coveted high-street retail spots. But while Joe Fresh will be occupying the street level space it seems that the clothing line is not quite ready to cut ties with its grocery store roots. The retail project will also include a 45,000-square-foot Loblaws supermarket on the second floor and a 29,000-square-foot Winners on the third floor.

But don't get too excited - while urban dwellers are sure to love the retail bargains and convenience factor of this monolithic downtown shopping complex, they'll have to wait 'til 2011 for the stores to open. To get your Joe fix now be sure to check out the new fall line next time you head out for milk and cereal - you just might be tempted pick up some cozy sweaters and frilly autumny blouses to keep your groceries company in those reusable bags.