THE WINDOWS COME ALIVE

Montreal store puts on live show for second year running

Roots Centre-Ville sure knows how to turn heads in Montreal. Earlier this month, people did a double take as they walked by the store next to the busy intersection of St. Catherine and Peel. What captured their attention were instructors from a nearby fitness club who appeared in the store windows giving choreographed demonstrations to music.

For the second year in a row, Roots Centre-Ville teamed up with Club Sportiff MAA and hosted two-hour live window sessions for five consecutive days. Dressed in Roots Yoga attire, two male and a half-dozen female instructors demonstrated eye-catching moves from a selection of their courses, including pilates, yoga, power pump free weights and cardio ball bootcamp. There was African, hip hop and salsa dancing, and male instructors also demonstrated sports conditioning and core strengthening.

“It was great because they were promoting our Roots Yoga line and we were promoting their gym,” says Store Manager Aran Pamplona. “The club is right up the street and (Roots Co-Founders) Don Green and Michael Budman are always promoting health and fitness, so it’s a good relationship.”

Roots Centre-Ville’s relationship with the MAA started several years ago through world champion and Olympic medalist Natalie Lambert, when Roots Centre-Ville hosted an Olympic press conference at the store. Then, last year Natalie contacted Roots to suggest putting on live shows.

“When you come into the store every day, it’s always exciting for something new to be happening,” says Centre-Ville Assistant Manager Angie Ello. “It was a nice change, especially because of where we’re located. It gave the store great energy and it definitely brought in traffic.”