As a part of our Love Local series, we’re featuring some of our Manulife Place retailers to learn a little bit more about their unique offerings and what they love about owning a business in Downtown Edmonton. Next up: Blu’s.
Tell us about Blu’s – When did you open?
We opened in 1978 as an extension of Henry Singer. Our first location was in downtown Edmonton. In 1983, John and Jennifer Leavitt became owners and expanded the boutique to 4 locations across Alberta. In 2015, Kerry Tham and Vince Kong became owners and aspire to taking care of Albertan women for another 35 years.
What services do you offer?
At Blu’s we value each and every client and hope their experience will leave them feeling confident and beautiful! We offer one-on-one personal shopping with a trained Stylist to assist with all your styling needs. If you prefer, we can setup a live video conference call with a stylist to take you virtually around our store to view current collections and make suggestions that would work with your wardrobe. We also have an experienced Tailor on staff if you require any alterations and we would be happy to have your purchases delivered right to your door.
Need a Girl’s Night with friends? We have you covered with our Private Shopping parties. We’ll close our doors and offer a private evening for you and a few friends (co-workers) along with nibbles & champagne to enjoy while you receive one-on-one expertise from our Stylists.
We understand things have changed, but our dedication to your satisfaction and safety haven’t. We guarantee a safe environment to shop while in-store and if you’d prefer, we also offer Online shopping at www.blus.com.
At Blu’s it’s about building a positive and long lasting relationship with each person that walks through our door!
What can customers find at your store that they can’t find elsewhere?
We offer Brands exclusive to Blu’s such as Dorothee Schumacher, Veronica Beard, Marie Saint Pierre, Max Mara Weekend and Nili Lotan just to name a few. We are dedicated to finding high quality Canadian brands we believe in as well as unique vendors from around the World that we know our clients will appreciate.
How long has Blu’s called Manulife Place home?
We’ve called Manulife Place home since 1990.
What’s your favourite thing about owning a business in Downtown Edmonton?
Downtown Edmonton has been home to our flagship for a few decades now and over the years we have had the privilege of being part of a community that supports our local business and others around us. Downtown has definitely changed in the last couple of years and we look forward to enjoying a post-construction updated landscape.
When paying a visit to Manulife Place to shop at Blu’s, what are 3 things you think visitors should see and do when Downtown or at Manulife Place?
- Checkout the great local eats and entertainment that are a short distance from Manulife Place.
- Spoil yourself by checking out some of our other local boutiques like NightOwl Imports, Vandenberg’s, Henry Singers and Alligator Pie.
- If you’re in need of some ME time, make an appointment to get your hair and/or nails done at Headlines Salon & Spa.
With more people working from home going forward, people are dressing differently. What advice do you have for incorporating more high-fashion moments into their day-to-day?
More importantly now than ever, we believe that women want to feel confident. We know that people want to feel their best, even if they’re working from home. We recommend investing in solid staples that are comfortable and versatile. For example, a long duster cardigan can be worn on the weekends but can still be paired with a printed blouse for zoom meetings. A good pair of black stretch jeans can be dressed up with a heeled bootie but also worn casually with a chic sneaker. We at Blu’s look forward to taking into account your lifestyle needs and building you the perfect wardrobe one investment piece at a time.
Blu’s is open to customers in store or online at blus.com.
Their current hours are Monday – Wednesday and Friday 11am – 5pm, Thursday 11am – 6pm, and Saturday 11am – 4pm by appointment only. Curbside pickup can also be arranged.