Wandering through Simons's newest store a day before it opened on Thursday, Bernard Leblanc had a quiet confidence despite the busyness surrounding him.

Across almost every inch of the flagship store at Yorkdale mall in Toronto, staff were scurrying to unwrap and steam the last of the location's merchandise, vacuum carpets and dress mannequins.

The seemingly menial tasks belied the enormity of what they were all preparing for: Simons's entry into the venerable Toronto market.

That feat has been a long time coming. La Maison Simons is 185 years old but has taken such a methodical expansion outside its home province of Quebec that it only counted 17 stores until now.

While it's long wanted to head to Toronto, it somehow detoured through Halifax, West Vancouver and even the city's outskir

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