One of Canada's most venerable department stores, Holt Renfrew was founded in 1837 in Quebec City where it became known for the quality of its furs. The store was later to become the official furrier to the Queen, Victoria that is (they would continue to receive royal warrants until 1921). On the centennial of its founding, in 1937, the company opened a new flagship in Montreal on Sherbrooke Street, near the Ritz-Carlton Montréal. The six-story building in the then fashionable Streamline Moderne style (a late Art Deco variation with long horizontal lines, minimal adornment, and often nautical themes) became a destination for fashionable Canadians and travelers visiting Montreal. The department store continues to earn its place on itineraries of serious shoppers, with leading European, US, and Canadian designers represented. The Café Holt's salads and open-faced tartine sandwiches make for a good lunch break from shopping or taking in the culture at the nearby Musée des Beaux Arts.
