Press Release

aggie martin, providing a unique French dining experience with a European ambiance, is located in one of Brampton’s most historic buildings at the “four corners”, directly across from the new Rose Theatre.

The owners of the Downtown Brampton Restaurant/Boutique –Bruce Huggett and Debi Vance of “aggie martin” have been selected for a restaurant redo on an upcoming episode of the Food Network’s Canada’s highly popular “Restaurant Makeover” program.

The shooting of and makeover will begin on January 28. The hosts will redo the décor and update & advance the menu. They use every trick, pull out every stop, cash in every favour and–above all– have to get along in order to turn cafes, pubs, brasseries and diners into five star affairs in one week.

“Restaurant Makeover” has the international appeal of a great makeover story combined with the universal love affair we all have with fine dining and the drama of an occasional disaster.

Opened in the fall of 2006 by Debi & Bruce, aggie martin has been well-received in the community. Their goal is to continue providing superior service and unique blend of flavours, sounds and textures to their customers creating a wonderful experience for guests at each visit.

For more in formation, visit www.aggiemartin.com.

January/February/March 2007, Style Magazine

Aggie Martin is a new multi-department boutique in Brampton, Ontario that combines designer clothing for men, women and children with shoes, accessories and even a café/restaurant. Located in a historic building dating back to 1820, and a mere 30 minutes from Toronto, Aggie Martin was created by partners Bruce Huggett and Debi Vance, who wanted to create a convenient shopping location with some personality. Popular labels such as Juicy Couture, Ben Sherman and Princess Tam Tam are available, but they’ve also allotted space to up-and-coming Canadian designers such as clothing line arthouse by Gina Rae Horvath and a jewelry collection by Jennifer Long. There are also plans to host a local “Project Runway”-type competition to showcase young designers.

For more in formation, visit www.aggiemartin.com.

 By Peter Criscione, Staff Writer, Brampton Guardian

Aggie Martin inspired by French Culture

Looking to create an all-around shopping experience for peo­ple coming to the downtown, a Brampton businesswoman has de­cided to bring two of her biggest passions under one roof.

Debi Vance is the proprietor of aggie martin, a new boutique/café on Main Street that combines shopping for the lat­est fashions with fine dining.

We decided that if we were going to attract a large group of people ­into Brampton we should have coffee and pastries so when they come In, they can socialize and shop at the same time,” explained Vance who co-owns aggie martin with husband Bruce Huggett. “We were looking more to create an around experience as opposed to just shopping.”

Located at 15 Main St. S. directly across from the Rose Theatre, Vance said aggie martin is a venture inspired by French culture.

The idea behind the boutique/café is to have customers shop for their favorite designers while socializing over fresh baked pastries and latte or an extensive menu.

Shoppers can find designer shoes, as well as a variety of clothing for men, women and children. Labels sold in the boutique are clothes often touted by “Hollywood celebrities” and include Juicy Couture, Ben Sherman, Paige Premi­um Denim, Hudson, Da-nang and Junk Food.

“The clothing is typically found only in the larger, more upscale department stores,” Vance said.

The moniker aggie martin is a combination of the names of two of Vance’s relatives — Aggie was the name of Vance’s grandmother, and Martin was the last name of Huggett’s grandmoth­er.

“We spent a long time looking for a name,” said Vance, adding that they initially started selling clothes on the Internet before setting up a storefront. “We wanted a name of a person, we wanted something that was individual and that had some personality. We wanted our space to have character, something like a grand old dame of the downtown mixed with a young con­temporary image.”

As for the dining end of the operation, Vance has been taking cooking classes since age 8, passionate about France and a world-traveler; she has an appreciation for fine dining and a well-developed appreciation for flavor. A team of trained french chef’s contribute to the dining experience.

“We’ve brought some high class dining to downtown Brampton with a French interpretation,” added Vance. “I think it’s going to be a really good experience for the customers.”

The boutique/café makes its home in Brampton’s core at a time when a great deal of effort has been put into revitalizing the down­town. 

Vance, who grew up in Brampton and until recently worked in the corporate world, said she chose to set up shop in the city’s core because as a youth, Main Street “was always the place to go.”

“We’ve been here our whole lives and the main street of Bramp­ton was the place to come to when we were growing up,” said Vance, noting that the group initially set their sights on a handful of locations for aggie martin including Oakville, but decided on Brampton. The decision to move downtown has more to do with the aggie martin personality. We’re not a mall kind of store. We de­cided that we were unique and unusual enough that we didn’t have to be sort of clustered with the rest of the high-end shops. And be­cause there was so much going on to revitalize downtown Bramp­ton we felt this was a good location for us.”

Aggie martin is housed in a historic building on Main Street South dated back to 1860. Vance said renovations on the interior of the building were lengthy, but in the end the final product “is everything (they) visu­alized when conceiving of and designing the space.” 

The response from the public has so far been tremendous, Vance said.

Brampton, Ontario, Canada (PRWEB) October 30, 2006 -- Brampton, a small urban center 30 minutes outside of the greater Toronto area plays host to LA fashion and ambiance with the opening of Aggie Martin Inc. The aggie martin customer can shop for the favourite designers of “young Hollywood,” socialize over fresh baked pastry, coffee and latte’s or dine on fine French cuisine.

Designers previously found only in the United States, Vancouver, Montreal or in large up-scale department stores may be found in this intimate multi-department boutique located in downtown Brampton across the street from the city’s new entertainment complex, the Rose Theatre. The variety of labels is impressive, and includes Juicy Couture, Ben Sherman, 7 for all mankind, Paige Premium Denim, Hudson, Da-nang, Princess Tam.Tam, Junk Food etc. In addition, space is allocated for up and coming Canadian designers.

To create an enticing shopping experience, guests are greeted by the smell of fresh baked treats, and can dish over coffee, lunch or dinner to compliment the shopping trip. The talented chef delivers outstanding quality vis a vis flavour, portions and presentation in a classic French tradition.

All of the “attractions” are housed in a historic building dating to 1820. Following a lengthy renovation the space is reminiscent of Soho galleries, an enticing backdrop for the combined retail and café. The brainchild of Bruce Huggett and partner Debi Vance; “...aggie martin is everything we visualized when conceiving of and designing the space.” “We wanted our guests to be able to meet their friends and socialize a bit, then leave with their favourite celebrity’s preferred lingerie brand straight through to jacket and hat,” said Vance.

Aggie Martin’s goal was to create a fun environment with personality, variety and convenience (the hours are Monday to Saturday 9am to 9pm and Sunday 12:00 noon to 5 pm. -- and aggie martin is accommodating, they will stay open later with reservations). Based upon feedback received to date, the goals are well on their way to being realized.

Toronto, ON (PRWEB) July 11, 2006 -- Fender Footwear and Another Season are pleased to announce Another Season’s participation in advertising and marketing Fender Footwear.

Another Season, a popular emerging new wave band, will participate in an advertising campaign designed to showcase Fender Footwear. Ads will be released later this summer in time for the back to school retail season.

The Fender Footwear Canadian distributor, Austria Import West Ltd, retailer Aggie Martin and representatives for Another Season have worked for several months to finalize the deal. The ad campaign will feature Another Season band members wearing Fender shoes during live shows and recreational activities. Another Season band members love the comfort and cutting-edge style of the footwear line and are thrilled to represent a brand they respect for not only footwear but also Fender musical instruments.

Rock 'N Sole Ltd. is the company that designs, develops and markets Fender Footwear. Formed in 2004 by two footwear industry veterans with a combined 50+ years of expertise and proven success, Rock 'N Sole, Ltd. is the exclusive Fender Footwear licensee. Represented in Canada by Austria Import West Ltd., company representative Paul Brodie has been instrumental in developing a marketing campaign that will tie in Fender Footwear’s rocking style to the Canadian music scene.

Toronto-based band Another Season was formed in early 2004. The group was originated by song writer -- musician Christopher Huggett who collaborated with Jerome Dorge, Braeden Miller and Brittney Townson.

With the band members having a wide variety of musical tastes and backgrounds, different styles were brought to the table during the early stages of song-writing. With some of their major influences being New Order, Depeche Mode and The Cure, Another Season has polished a raw, synth and guitar-driven sound complemented by the solid, sassy vocals by Huggett that have become their trademark.

Aggie Martin, a Toronto based retailer with the first-ever Canadian multi-department on-line store, www.aggiemartin.com, will be introducing Fender Footwear in mid-August of 2006. Aggie Martin was involved in bringing Fender Footwear and Another Season together to assist in the marketing of the Fender Footwear brand.