No one should really be surprised

Shoes.com store, 356 Queen Street West, Toronto
(Source: http://www.shoeme.ca/blogs/live/80095812-hey-toronto-the-first-shoes-com-storefront-is-open)

In December of 2015, ShoeMe.ca, also known as Shoes.com,  opened its first bricks and mortar retail store in Canada. This move from "clicks" to "bricks" is one that a number of eCommerce firms have made. Whether it is as a short-term popup location, or as part of a multi-channel strategy it seems to be growing in popularity.

There are many advantages in having a physical store, especially if the retailer is unsure about consumer reactions to new product lines or product mixes. Much easier to test a small quantity in a single store than commit to a container load only to have the merchandise flop.

But the key question is how does a firm like ShoeMe/Shoes get a prime spot on a hot retail location such as Queen Street west? Easy, you go into a spot that used to a crocs store.

Former crocs store, 356 Queen Street West, Toronto 
(Source: http://torontoist.com/attachments/Sarah%20Prickett/2008_08_27crocpot_1.jpg)

It is intersting that in the background you can see another two firms that have either scaled back or completely abandoned the Canadian retail market. FCUK and MEXX.