Lesley M.M. Blume, a columnist at the Huffington Post was in Toronto on April 7 to participate in a panel discussion for her book, Let’s Bring Back.  The event was hosted by The Society Toronto and held in the White Space at The Bay Queen Street.  The after work cocktail event featured nostalgic, Mad Men era drinks such as the gimlet as well as music from the period.

After mingling, the panel, which, besides Lesley included Bonnie Brooks (President and CEO of the Bay), David Rocco (best-selling author and TV producer of La Dolce Vita) and Glenn Pushelberg (co-founder of design firm Yabu Pushelberg – designer of The Bay Queen Street’s White Space) and was moderated by Fashion Television‘s Jeanne Beker.  People on the panel discussed what nostalgia was to them, including food, spaces (including department stores like The Bay), fashion, childhood memories and even things that are from a distant past that no longer existed by the time they were born.  After the panel spoke, the floor was able to ask questions.

It’s actually quite interesting that The Society chose The Bay Queen Street – a nostalgic event could have easily been held at, say, a historic home, the Carlu or in one of the older buildings at the University of Toronto.   While the White Space has a very modern feel, the store itself has such a history and heritage in Canada.  The Queen Street location, which was known as Simpson’s until the early 1990s, is actually re-exploring its history by renovating and restoring many of its spaces, bringing them back to their former glory.