In late 2010, the Kunitz’s decided that the time was drawing near when we should start thinking about updating our downtown store. It had been over 6 years since we first opened the doors at our 105ave. and 109st. store, and we are way past capacity at the 1600sq./ft. store. We decided that a move might be best for the store, and over the first few months of 2011 scoured the downtown area for potential spaces. Our list was short: at least twice the space, a space that we could highly modify to suit our needs, and a transit/pedestrian friendly location. We finally settled on a great space right, 10846 Jasper Avenue, on the Northeast corner of Jasper Ave. and 109th street in the newly completed Intact Building (formerly the Professional Building).

As soon as the formalities (and legalities!) were finished, we sat down with Paul Cote of Siebenga Interior Designs and set to work on what would be a great new project. Paul has worked with us for many years, and has been behind the design of all our major renovations and changes in the Kunitz Shoes story.

Our concept for this store would be vastly different from what our clients have come to expect from our current stores. After a market tour in Germany and Austria, Morgan and Everett came back to Paul bursting with great ideas and visions for the new store. Ideas came from boutiques on the Hackescher Markt in Berlin, St. Stephan’s in Vienna and Konig Strasse in Stuttgart. Combined with Paul’s feel for retail space and his deep understanding of us as clients, we were delivered a set of drawings that quickly awed us.

We are currently in the first phase of construction- the concrete. We decided to go with a somewhat “found/repurposed” look to the total store shell. The West wall has been left in its original state- a scorched and bitumen-laced cinderblock wall. The floors have been diamond ground to find some of the original and dazzling aggregates and then simply sealed again. These main “found” features will be combined with custom millwork and objects that Paul has keenly blended together to create a space that we feel will be both interesting and unique in Edmonton.