The Bay and its legacy

When my parents came to Canada in the '70s, they arrived with nothing.

My dad, who had some experience with art and design, happened to see someone setting up a window display at Simpsons in downtown Montreal. He knocked on the glass and asked if he could help. That was his first step into a long career in retail merchandising.

His career took off when HBC acquired Simpsons. He was promoted to Merchandising Manager at the flagship store on St. Catherine's in Montreal, then Queen Street in Toronto — the move that brought our family here. He'd go on to become National Creative Manager for HBC, spending most of his career at the Bay.

We still have old Bay Christmas display trinkets in our garage.

My uncles worked at Zellers for years too. HBC was more than a department store to us — it was a place that gave my family careers and opportunity in a new country when they needed it most.

With everything happening now, I just want to say thank you to the company that played a quiet but meaningful role in our story, and helped make the Canadian Dream possible for us.