I love a good deal as much as I love to shop. So when Holt Renfrew’s hr2 opened up, I knew that it would only be a matter of time before I’d be hopping into my car to take the drive up the 400.

In case you didn’t know, Holt Renfrew has recently opened up an over 23,000 square foot, premium off price store called hr2. It’s located where Holt Renfrew Last Call used to be at Vaughan Mills Shopping Centre and is the second of a chain of hr2’s to open in Canada (the first was in Quartier DIX30 in Brossard, Quebec.) It boasts one-time-only new merchandise from upscale designers at deeply discounted prices.

Not being in town for the grand opening, I had to wait until I returned from holiday to head over to check it out. Having visited Last Call a number of times, I wasn’t sure what to expect. To be honest, I was pleasantly surprised.

hr2 is bright and spacious and while not quite as luxurious as Holt Renfrew, it’s quite a pleasant environment. More boutique than outlet, I found it to be neat, well organized and thoughtfully planned out. And the prices? Definitely significant discounts.

Being shoe and handbag obsessed, those sections were my first stop. In the shoe department that day I saw quite a bit from Michael Kors, Schutz and Splendid, some Kate Spade and Tory Burch – to name a few. In the handbag department, while there were a handful of Burberry bags and perhaps one Gucci, there were numerous choices from designers such as Christopher Kon, Linea Pelle, Foley + Corinna and Rebecca Minkoff.

I did a quick zip through accessories, which was plentiful, and headed for a tour through women’s clothing. I found designers such as Diane von Furstenburg, Alice + Olivia, Pink Tartan and Ella Moss. But it wasn’t until I hit the denim department that I hit gold. I found a pair of DL1961 skinnies (my faves) in a blue that I’ve been wanting for months and there happened to be one pair in my size. At half the price. Score!

So was hr2 worth the drive to Vaughan? Absolutely. Shopping was a pleasant experience, the staff was extremely helpful and friendly, the prices were great and the selection and quality of items was fantastic. Add that to the regular influx of new merchandise and really, what more could a girl want?