Last week, I checked out one of the new Saks Off 5th Canada locations, at Vaughan Mills. I've shopped till I've dropped at Saks Off 5th in Florida... and even scored a Phillip Lim bag for under $250! I was so excited to hear that Off 5th was coming to Vaughan Mills and Tanger Outlets in Ottawa, and last week I finally got to shop the store myself. Saks Off 5th Canada entered the Canadian market to provide customers with a high-end discount store. The focus is on curation, and assuring customers will find something exciting without having to sort through duds on a rack. Because everything is bought specifically for the Saks Off 5th Canada stores, the merchandise is a lot more fresh! There's also one of a kind finds coming in straight from the newly-opened Saks Fifth Avenue stores as well. I also loved to hear that the buyer herself is Canadian, and has been a buyer for Hudson's Bay for decades! She knows what the Canadian customer wants (i.e. lots of layers, coats, practical winter shoes) which sometimes can be a miss when US retailers open in Canada. Another exciting element to this is that there are Canadian brands peppered throughout the store. I spotted Lazypants, Löle, Matt & Nat and a couple jewelry brands from homegrown talent! This helps strengthen the store's Canadian identity, and is also an amazing opportunity for these local brands to grow their customer base.