In 1984, a Vancouver-based clothing store set up its first store in the Oakridge mall at Cambie Street and West 41st Ave.

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It was an up-and-coming retail outpost. The name? Aritzia.

Fast-forward 42 years and that clothing company has become one of the city’s biggest retail success stories, currently operating more than 140 boutiques throughout North America. The company returned to its roots this week with a new outlet at the recently opened Oakridge Park development.

Aritzia CEO Jennifer Wong says the full-circle moment is “incredibly special” for the homegrown company.

“This moment honours our roots, the community that has been with us from the start and the next chapter ahead of us here in Vancouver — our home for over 40 years,” Wong said in a news release. Aritzia marked the occasion by releasing a limited-edition collection of t-shirts and sweatshirts featuring the original logo scrawled on the chest.

Aritzia is joined in the 650,000-sq.-ft. retail centre (500,000-sq.-ft. of which is currently open to shoppers) by nearly 50 additional retailers. The mix of brands represents a slice of Vancouver’s retail past, present and future, with hometown favourites, longtime luxury names previously only available downtown, and a few designer firsts for the city.

Many of the brands on offer at Oakridge Park skew toward the ultra-luxury category, with Prada, Tiffany & Co. and Rolex among the bold-name labels that drew crowds — and even lineups — on opening day.

In an attempt to delight shoppers who have been waiting for the mall to open, some boutiques brought in special items aimed specifically at their top clientele.

At the newest store for French fashion house Louis Vuitton, opening day for its fourth-largest boutique in Canada was reserved for “VIC” —or very important customers, who were invited into the space to shop pieces brought in exclusively for the debut, such as high jewelry, watches and an ultra-rare crocodile Speedy P9 Bag.

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The shopping centre boasts several first-in-market standalone boutiques for brands such as Miu Miu, Christian Louboutin, Veronica Beard and Valentino. The presence of the luxury jewelry brand Chaumet marks its first solo outpost in North America.

“Every one of these retailers shared our vision, shared our conviction that this is where they need to be, that Vancouver is strong,” said Chrystal Burns, executive vice-president of QuadReal Property Group, at a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday morning.

“They’ve invested time, resources, skill, and have built beautiful, unique stores for us, setting a new benchmark for experiential retail in Canada.”

While the retail offering undoubtedly skews toward pricier purchases, there are more approachable retailers within the centre, too.

Another locally-headquartered company, Lululemon, is joined in the mid-range retail category at Oakridge Park by stores such as Sephora and Sporting Life. A Safeway grocery store and a B.C. Liquor Store are also set to open on a lower level of the mall this fall or later in 2027. There is also a Purdy’s Chocolatier already open in a lower level near P1 parking.

Noting the tenants that opened on time for the grand opening day had “moved mountains” in order to do so, Burns alluded to the race to the finish line to meet the opening deadline that undoubtedly presented a challenge for construction crews and vendor staff.

“If you had been here last week, you might have thought it impossible. Many of you were here last week and thought it was impossible,” Burns said of the work that remained.

With more major retailers now open at the shopping centre than not, Burns says the stores that are still hidden behind “Coming soon” signs and temporary construction cladding will continue to be revealed over the next year.

“There will be some stores that still are a few days away as they put their finishing touches on their stores for us. There are some others that are starting to build their offerings right now,” she said. “There’s another 114,000-sq.-ft. of retail that will be announced soon and will be opening over the next year.”

As shoppers crowded into the new space on opening day to see what became of their old Oakridge mall, Burns hopes they will continue to come back to see how it evolves.

“Today is a milestone opening that is by no means the finish line,” she said. “It’s the beginning of our beloved Oakridge Park, bursting back to life.”

aharris@postmeida.com