Canada’s oldest company, Hudson’s Bay, has a rich and diverse history that spans more than three centuries. A particularly unique part of this history is the Room, a once-thriving fashion boutique that catered to the country’s wealthiest and most stylish society members. As the retail giant collapsed under a $1.1 billion debt in 2025, Canada’s fashion elite look back at the Room, a unique part of Hudson’s Bay history, reminiscing about its heyday and reflecting on its untimely end.
The Nostalgic Visit to the Room
In November 2025, Nicholas Mellamphy, the former creative director of the Room, and Helen Krispis, the director of visual presentation, visited the now-shuttered third-floor boutique at Hudson’s Bay flagship store in Toronto. Their visit served as a poignant farewell to their beloved project and a testament to a forgotten gem in the HBC empire.
The Room was once a haven for Canada’s fashion elite, offering designer clothing fresh from the runway. Its closure marked a significant chapter in the rise and fall of Hudson’s Bay. The surprisingly warm November day saw Mellamphy and Krispis clad in black, a fitting attire given the sombre nature of their visit. The visit was part of a photo shoot, but it also represented a much-needed closure to a significant chapter of their careers.
The Room: Canada’s Fashion Mecca
The Room was not just a boutique; it was an experience. The space was a modern reimagination of the St. Regis Room, a luxury fashion business started in 1937 by Simpsons, the department store later taken over by Hudson’s Bay. The Room, just like its predecessor, catered to women of all ages offering dresses, suits, hats, and designer wear that rivaled those in Paris, London, Vienna, and New York.
Visiting the Room was akin to being part of an exclusive club with staff hand-picking garments straight from the international runways, rubbing shoulders with fashion’s biggest names, and attending parties that were the talk of the town. Its opulence and exclusivity made it the closest thing Canada had to New York or European boutiques.
The Revitalization of the Room
The Room’s revitalization occurred under the leadership of Bonnie Brooks, a former fashion magazine editor, and retail visionary. Brooks took the helm of Hudson’s Bay in 2008 and worked tirelessly to push the department store upmarket. One of her significant achievements was the reimagining of the Room into a fashion mecca selling luxury clothing and offering an unparalleled shopping experience.
Mellamphy and Krispis played pivotal roles in bringing Brooks’ vision to life. The duo transformed the Room into a ritzy enclave with luxurious decor, designer clothing, and a fashionable ambience. Krispis, in particular, turned the spaces into a garden with butterflies for a Roksanda collection and covered the entryway with silver balloons to celebrate Mary Katrantzou.
The Decline and Fall of the Room
Despite its initial success, the Room began to falter after HBC’s acquisition of U.S. rival Saks Fifth Avenue in 2013. The resources for the Room dwindled, and it was moved from its original location. Mellamphy left the business in 2016, feeling that the Room had become “an afterthought”.
In the years that followed, the decline of the Room and Hudson’s Bay became more apparent. Despite efforts to revive the Room, the financial strain was too much, and by 2025, Hudson’s Bay was in creditor protection. The Room’s legacy ended with shoppers rifling through racks of discounted designer dresses and the sale of its iconic decor.
A Final Farewell
As Mellamphy and Krispis revisited the Room for the last time, they found the remnants of a once-thriving fashion haven. The visit served as a painful but necessary farewell, allowing them to close a significant chapter of their careers and move on.
Despite its untimely end, the Room remains a unique part of Hudson’s Bay history, leaving behind a legacy of luxury, exclusivity, and fashion-forward thinking. Its memory continues to inspire Canada’s fashion elite, reminding them of a time when Toronto had a fashion mecca that could rival those in the world’s fashion capitals.
