Three years after the closure of Indigo’s three-level shop at Robson and Howe streets, the Canuck bookstore formerly known as Chapters is returning to one of Vancouver’s busiest retail strips with the opening of a 29,000-square-foot flagship this fall.

Situated at 1033 Robson Street—a site that will soon be vacated by fast-fashion retailer Forever 21—the massive, two-storey space will “reflect Indigo’s full new concept”, according to a media release.

The location will offer a large selection of books and Indigo-designed lifestyle objects, plus an IndigoKids department stocked with children’s titles and STEM products. There will also be an in-house café and community space for special events. The interiors, meanwhile, will follow a "warm and inviting aesthetic inspired by the city".

"Indigo, which also operates the Chapters brand, has had a long and valued relationship with booklovers in downtown Vancouver," said Heather Reisman, Indigo CEO. "When we made the decision to leave our well-loved Robson street Chapters store, we promised our customers that as soon as we could, we would be back. We are so very excited to reconnect with this community who are among the best and most passionate readers in the country."

Indigo shuttered its original Chapters flagship at 788 Robson Street in January 2015. At the time, Reisman cited a major rent increase that would make the location unprofitable.

Upon the shop’s closure, the American Girl Specialty Boutique, which opened on the location’s second floor only a year earlier, moved to Indigo’s Broadway and Granville Street outpost. The company later launched a smaller Indigo Spirit bookstore at 816 Granville Street, which will remain open alongside the new flagship.