The historic Canada Permanent Building in Downtown Edmonton is set to become the new home of Lauren Kyle-McDavid’s latest business ventures, Bar Trove and Trove Living.
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“I just fell in love with the bones and the architecture, and I loved the kind of European feel to it,” said Kyle-McDavid of the space.
In an Instagram post last week, Kyle-McDavid announced to her more than 115,000 followers on the app that her new business project was “well in the works.” Kyle-McDavid, who got married to Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid last summer, said that Bar Trove and Trove Living are separate businesses from her other endeavours and aims to create an interconnected experience bringing furniture, food and drink together for a seamless outing.
She said the Bar Trove space, located at 10126 100 St., will feature a bar and small plate restaurant on the main floor with room for roughly 30 people, while the upper two floors will be home to offices and a showroom for Trove Living, which will sell luxury furniture and homeware.
Kyle-McDavid said that Bar Trove is “trying to focus local,” using best quality and best available products to create a French-inspired palate. Bar Trove has partnered with a consultant from Toronto who is assisting to curate the cocktail list and menu. But the new space will otherwise be unaffiliated with any major restaurant group.
Meanwhile, Trove Living upstairs will be run with Kyle-McDavid’s business partner, Brittany Schulz, with an aim to bring European furniture brands not well-represented in Western Canada.
“It’s a different entity, but we really wanted to speak to our own business. Since we’re upstairs, it’s really meant to be like a holistic building where everything of all my interests comes to life,” said Kyle-McDavid with a laugh.
Kyle-McDavid has no shortage of business interests, spanning from apparel with Sports Club Atelier, to interior design with Kyle & Co, and now furniture at Trove Living, which she said was a natural extension from her interior design work and also connected well with the restaurant and bar.
“Designers are expanding their offerings and working on providing furniture as a more inclusive package with their design process. So this is just a really great way that my clients can be more involved in the furniture selection and furniture procurement phase.”
“The bar was just a natural evolution because we had the space, and we just thought it would be such a nice compliment to having a furniture store,” she said.
She pointed to Henry Singer in the Ice District, which opened Bar Henry as an affiliated bar, as an example of what the two Trove offerings are intending to create, but said the ambiance will be notably different.
Kyle-McDavid saw herself as an aspiring entrepreneur from a young age, so she said having multiple ventures at once was “only natural” to her, adding, “but I think this is the last for now,” with another laugh.
Sitting in the heart of Downtown Edmonton, the Canada Permanent Building has an exceptionally long local history as one of the oldest buildings in the city. Built in 1909 by architect Roland W. Lines, the European feel that attracted Kyle-McDavid’s eye is a “rare example of Edwardian Baroque architecture in Edmonton,” according to the City of Edmonton’s Register of Historic Resources, which the building was added to in May 2022.
The investment in both Downtown and in the Canada Permanent Building are exciting for Edmonton Downtown Business Association executive director Puneeta McBryan.
“We are so excited to welcome Lauren Downtown,” said McBryan.
McBryan said she and her colleagues kept a close eye on the space, hoping for the right person to come along and bring it up to its full potential.
“I couldn’t imagine a better steward than someone like Lauren, who is young, has obviously a great eye, and priority on design and luxury,” said McBryan.
“I think what she’s done both with (her) apparel for the Oilers recently, which has sold out immediately every time she has a drop. And her social media presence, and her design business clearly, she has an eye and a knack for what young people want.”
McBryan said Kyle-McDavid’s selection of the space and decision to open a business in Downtown Edmonton tells a “powerful story.”
Kyle-McDavid said downtown has changed from when she first arrived.
“Since I first was here about eight years ago or nine years ago, when Connor and I first started dating, there’s been a lot of change to Downtown, and I think there’s still a lot of work to do. But I think there’s people willing to invest and revitalize it,” Kyle-McDavid said.
“It’s really important to me to revitalize, help refresh the city, and bring something like a new concept and a new perspective to the city.”
McBryan expressed high hopes for the space.
“I would expect a pretty loyal customer base right off the bat, but you also have someone who’s got a bit of business experience under her belt. So I’m hoping, and I would expect, that what we’ll see is the complete package,” McBryan said.
Kyle-McDavid said the group is aiming for an early April opening.