Going for the gold - or silver, or diamonds - will take on new meaning for shoppers travelling to a new high-end jewellery mart somewhat north of the Mink Mile.
To reach it, consumers will have to travel way past Bloor Street's carriage trade to industry-laden Lesmill Road.
There, at the Jewellers' Market Vault, product is expected to range from $100 silver earrings to $100,000 diamond rings twinkling inside glass-and-chrome showcases.
Located inside a boxy 12,000-square-foot building (formerly the home of the Shoe Company's headquarters), the Vault already shines as a result of a $1-million renovation that has added gold-tinted windows to the exterior and original contemporary art to the interior.
The concept is the newest brainchild of Albert Sliwin, proprietor of Avon Sportswear and Victory Cap (companies that manufacture team and corporate outerwear and caps). During phase one, at the end of March, the Vault will house 45 jewellery retailers who will sell their wares for 30 to 40 per cent less than what they would charge in the malls or downtown.
The discount comes courtesy of the North York location. Mr. Sliwin says he will be able to rent space for cheaper than he could downtown; the discount will, in turn, be passed along to the customer. The cost of rent will include use of custom-built display cases, as well as 24-hour armed security.
In phase two, Mr. Sliwin will add a three-storey parking garage, a 10,000-square-foot ladies-only spa featuring a perfume boutique offering exclusive labels, and an art gallery for ongoing exhibitions. "I want to build a reputation here," he says. "I don't want this to be a hit and run."
The 77-year-old Holocaust survivor already enjoys a reputation as a fashion pioneer. At the beginning of the decade, after dot-comers decimated what remained of Toronto's Spadina Avenue fashion district (by taking over warehouses and jacking rents), Mr. Sliwin moved the garmentos - a tight-knit community of designers, manufacturers, agents and wholesalers - north to Wingold Avenue, near Dufferin and Lawrence.
The Vault will be open to the public, with oodles of free parking. "Downtown has become too congested," Mr. Sliwin observes.
"When people buy expensive jewellery, they don't want to fight traffic."