Growing up, a trip to Hudson’s Bay felt like an experience.
Escalators humming. Perfume in the air. Winter coats on every rack. It wasn’t just a store—it was a Canadian landmark. A symbol of the ideal city life.
But now?
Storefronts are shuttering. Locations are closing. And HBC is filing for creditor protection. The energy is different. Emptier. A little heartbreaking if you think about it.
It certainly got us thinking:
“What do we do with buildings that used to be full of life… and now feel left behind?”
At Toboggan Flats, we’ve been asking a version of that question for a while now, with empty office buildings. Big footprints. Big potential.
So naturally, we tried to apply that thinking to Hudson’s Bay.
Let’s imagine:
Each floor becomes its own coliving flat—with shared kitchens, cozy lounges and private bedrooms carved out of former cosmetics counters and cashier zones.
The washrooms? First of all, you’d be able to actually find them. Then we’d expand, upgrade and adapt them into beautifully designed shared bathrooms—using the plumbing that’s already in place.
Those kiosk islands on the main floor? Perfect modular bedrooms. Minimalist, functional, warm. Clustered together into micro-communities with their own social zones and kitchenettes.
The blankets on each Toboggan Flats bed? We think you know what that will be ;)
Third floor women’s coats section? Wellness zone. Think meditation area, maybe even a soft-lit yoga nook beneath what used to be the fluorescents.
Basement storage and back-of-house? Communal laundry. Bike parking. A gear library (yes to shared drying racks and repair kits!)
And the building itself? Still in the heart of the city. Still a landmark. Just… full of life again.
Same walls. Totally new purpose.
This is what adaptive reuse can do. Instead of tearing things down, working with what’s there. To build something better—and faster.
Yes. It’s bold. It’s ambitious. But so is turning office floors into flats. And we’re so close to achieving that.
The point is: it’s possible.
And it might just be a thought experiment for now, but reimagining a space like Hudson’s Bay could be more than a cool concept. It could be part of a bigger movement—one where we save our Canadian cities by putting young people first.
So here’s to the vision. Let’s build that future together
