Rich J.
Yelp
I went to the grand opening. I have one of their packs--a nice well made, relatively high end item and I was curious about what they had. The lineup for free little bags (their grand opening premium, along with crab sliders for people who made a purchase) included obvious fans as well as wearers of The North Face, Patagonia, and Marmot. The selection was a mix of clothing, accessories, luggage, and smaller packs. The accessories were priced similarly to other brands while the clothing and packs here were very expensive.
I looked at a lightweight hardshell rainjacket they had--it was much like a Patragonia jacket I considered buying a couple years ago for hikes in New Zealand (land of temperate rain forests), however, it was nearly twice as expensive and really offered nothing different in the way of materials, workmanship or design. The same theme was evident with the other merchandise, although they seem to use a finer grade of material on their day packs than others, but nothing that would justify prices that were 50-100% greater. They also didn't have my pack, which was more functional and a better value than anything I saw in the store (I bought it at REI).
I've seen their gear at REI and Paragon in NYC, so I know not all of it is as overpriced as this. There was no effort to sell innovation, material, or other convincing brand defining characteristics. They did have a Gore-Tex concession, but Gore-Tex is neither new nor necessarily premium as a material (except may be for their expensive dental floss). They were talking about items being made in Vancouver but at least half the stuff had been made in China and I wouldn't be surprised if it came off assembly lines that turned other brands.
So...possibly a semi-good place for Arcteryx fans, but a pretty unconvincing place for people who are serious about the functionality of their outdoor gear (i.e., they actually use it in the way it is promoted) and looking for real value. The rest of City Center was dead, as usual, so it's unlikely to be a draw for the complex, even though it fits the overpriced pretense of the other retailers.