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 earnestly asked if he could help. That moment was his first step in 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, and later on Queen Street in Toronto — prompting our family’s move. He would go on to become the National Creative Manager for #HBC, spending the majority of his career at the Bay.
We still have old Bay Christmas display trinkets in our garage.
My uncles also worked at #Zellers for many years. 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 #thankyou to the company that played a quiet but meaningful role in our story — and helped make the #CanadianDream possible for us. 🙏🏾
