VANCOUVER'S "ST JOHN" STORE TO TAKE OVER GRIFFINS RESTAURANT SPACE

Hotel Vancouver ground floor plan. We took this photo in the hotel's lobby. They incorrectly named the store "ST JOHNS"

A source tells us that the current St. John store at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver will relocate to space currently occupied by a restaurant called Griffins. St. John will subsequently be replaced by a luxury retailer that we'll reveal later this week. 

Vancouver is the only Canadian city to have a free-standing St. John store. Last month we speculated that it could replace Griffins restaurant, and Van23H of Vancouver Skyscraper Forum now indicates that the deal is done. 

Griffins Restaurant Interior. High ceilings for St. John

We examined the space occupied by Griffins restaurant and noticed it has high ceilings with arched windows. We think this could be a very elegant space for St. John, provided that extensive renovations are done. 

St. John is an upscale American womenswear label with prices into the hundreds and even thousands. It is carried in Canada at selected Holt Renfrew stores. Most Nordstrom stores also feature large in-store St. John departments, and we expect this to be the case for Nordstrom's future Canadian stores as well. 

Windows to the left of the hotel's entrance for Griffins and, eventually, St. John

Keep reading, because the retailer expected to replace St. John will be a first for Canada. Any guesses who will replace St. John at the corner of Burrard and West Georgia Streets? Feel free to post comments below, to this article's link on our Facebook Page, or even to our Twitter. 

[Hotel Vancouver website]

[St. John Knits website]