By Maxime Frechette

Welcome to Montreal Friday. Every Friday this summer, I will show you what’s new in Montreal, because Montreal is a fun and wonderful city to discover. Here are my discoveries of the week. Follow me on Twitter and Instagram for previews and as well, lets engage on Twitter with hashtag: #FRIDAYMTL.

Steve Madden to Open New Sainte-Catherine Street Store

American footwear brand Steve Madden is increasing its presence in downtown Montreal. Madden recently leased a 2,500 square foot retail space at 1021 Sainte-Catherine Street West.

The space was previously occupied by Watch Station, which closed in 2014. Steve Madden indicates that both their flagship store at 1340 Sainte-Catherine Street West, and their other location at Centre Eaton (it's the smallest Canadian location at 2,134 square feet) will remain open for the time being.

The newest Steve Madden location boasts a more central location on Sainte-Catherine Street, and is also directly below the original OTH/Off The Hook Boutique (See my other article on OTH at William Gray Hotel). On the same block, you will find retailers such as Lacoste, HMV, Club Monaco and the world’s second-largest American Eagle Outfitters location. Steve Madden currently only has 4 stores in Quebec and they are all in the Montreal area.

*Current Centre Eaton location. Photo: Maxime Frechette*

Sacha Singh of brokerage Oberfeld Snowcap handles Steve Madden's Canadian real estate.

Sainte Catherine Street West is known for having a number of fashion brands with multiple stores on the same street. These include Foot Locker (1183 Ste-Catherine St. W., 900 Ste-Catherine St. W., Centre Eaton, and 475 Ste-Catherine St. W.) BCBG Max Azria (585 Ste-Catherine St. W, 960 Ste-Catherine St. W., 1300 Ste-Catherine St. W.) Forever 21 (1255 Ste-Catherine St. W., Complexe les Ailes) H&M (1100 Ste-Catherine St. W. and 450 Ste-Catherine St. W.) and Aldo (Centre Eaton, Promenades de la Cathedrale, 1320 Ste-Catherine St. W. and 1009 Ste-Catherine St. W.).

Recently BCBG Max Azria downsized its store at 960 Ste-Catherine Street West, and Foot Locker is looking to close its store on 1183 Ste-Catherine Street West, according to sources.

*top photo by Maxime Frechette

Fierte Montreal (Montreal Pride)

This Weekend is Montreal Pride, and I invite you to come if you are in the city!

All activities at Parc Emily Gamelin are free, located at the entrance to Montreal's Gay Village on Sainte Catherine Street East.

Tonight (Friday, August 12), on the TD stage will be a performance by Lara Fabian, in collaboration with many other artists.

Sunday is the Pride Day Parade, at 1:00 pm on Rene-Levesque Boulevard. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced that he will be present, as he was in both the Toronto and Vancouver Pride Parades.

Over 450,000 participants will be attending the Montreal pride parade, according to organizer estimates. There are many other activities on the program and for more information, please visit their web site: www.fiertemontrealpride.com.

Canadian Retail News From Around The Web: August 12, 2016