Hazel

I went into Hazel today.
When the store first opened up, there was some pretty serious hype about it because it would be THE place for luxury goods and seemed to have a pretty perfect location as it's attached to the Hazelton Hotel - the newest hotspot for celebs and anyone who's anyone to stay at.
I also was interested in the store because one of the stylists for the store hired me at my first retail job. He was incredibly friendly (unlike most of the managers at the location), but quickly left for much bigger and better things. I know that he also has a personal styling company (although I'm not sure if he's put that on the backburner for the time being - I'm sure it's possible to do it freelance). So there's that personal connection there (even though it's not like it's personal in any way).
Anyway, the point is, I went into the store...and I was quite tentative about doing so. With all the hype, it just didn't seem like the place you could stroll into. Remember, this is snooty-and-weirdo-exclusive-for-no-reason Toronto instead of Milan or Paris or London or wherever where it's completely acceptable to go into stores where it's obvious you can't afford anything, but they still treat you like a million bucks.
It's a very small location and while it has beautiful items, I was incredibly disappointed. The merchandising and visual displays were atrocious. Absolutely horrible. Clothes were packed onto racks and shoes were casually placed about. I think that a store like this would do better if items were places into outfits a la Colette and other similar boutiques. I suppose, if you're shopping in a place like Hazel, you've got the undivided attention of the staff who can style for you and pick out outfits specifically for you, but it the boutique disappointed me immensely.
Another reason I was appalled by the store (I will never go back there again - nothing in the store really stood out to be as being that unique and inspiring) was that there was a family there who I'm assuming were staying at the hotel by their demeanor and discussions and with them was a child around the age of 8-10 years old who was barefoot, standing, jumping, no running around on the couches. The adults with him did not discipline him, nor did the staff members at the boutique say anything. Horrible.
My personal link entered the boutique with a rolling rack as I was leaving. Congratulations to him - it's nice to see that people can move up and do great things in the fashion industry.