Sean Marshall

Tag: Mall

  • Woodbine Centre: the end of a Fantasy

    Woodbine Centre: the end of a Fantasy

    Woodbine Centre & Fantasy Fair is up for sale, again

    Growing up in Brampton in the 1980s and early 1990s, there were two favourite day trips I fondly remember.

    There were the drives to nearby Georgetown, which had one of the largest indoor playgrounds at any McDonald’s restaurant. It featured a multistorey indoor crawl maze, a spiral slide that led to a giant ball pit, a tire swing, as well as a standard McDonaldland-themed merry-go-round. A CN caboose could be rented for children’s parties. At least we’d burn off some of the calories from the burgers and fries. (There’s a video on Reddit from 1992 that shows what it looked like.)

    Then there were the trips to Fantasy Fair. When Woodbine Centre opened in 1985, it featured a unique attraction: a large indoor amusement park, complete with a historic Looff carousel (though with replica fiberglass horses), a Ferris wheel, and a train ride that wound through the attraction. The highlight for me, however, was a huge indoor playground that spanned two floors that was many times the size of the Georgetown McDonald’s playground. It had multiple slides, a mirror maze, swings, and two ball pits. There was also a McDonald’s restaurant facing Fantasy Fair, in one of the faux-Victorian storefronts that surrounded the attraction.

    Fantasy Fair Carousel, November 2024

    The mall itself was anchored by The Bay and Simpson’s, along with a Cineplex multiplex cinema, and a complete assortment of mid-market retailers. In 1991, when the Hudson’s Bay Company retired the Simpson’s brand (converting most of those stores into The Bay), it sold the redundant store to Sears Canada. A Zellers discount department store was added in the 1990s. But the mall slowly lost its pizzazz.

    Cadillac Fairview sold Woodbine Centre in 2005 to a numbered company, with real estate management firm Avison Young operating the mall. By then, many of the national retailers had left once their leases were up. The mall’s relatively isolated site, without good transit access became a liability. Changing demographics in northern Etobicoke, competition from surrounding larger malls (Bramalea City Centre, Sherway Gardens, Square One, Vaughan Mills, and Yorkdale) and new big box retail developments also took their toll.

    The Zellers store was not one of the leases picked up by ill-fated Target Canada, and it closed in 2012. Sears closed in March 2017, a few months before the entire chain was liquidated. Sport Chek closed its store in 2018.

    Woodbine Centre’s Zellers store was not picked up by Target, and the parking lot-facing doors still have the defunct retailer’s logo intact

    There was an attempt to renovate the mall, as part of a grand plan to revitalize the property with a new supermarket, refreshed food court, new entertainment options, and condominium towers surrounding the shopping centre. The Woodbine Village proposal competed with the better-financed Woodbine Live plans at the nearby racetrack, which included a casino, hotel, and event hall, all of which were built or are nearing completion. Condominium development is complicated as the property, particularly the southeast corner at Highway 27 and Rexdale Boulevard, is directly below the approach for Pearson Airport’s Runway 23.

    Poster promoting “Woodbine Village” which boasts a new supermarket, condo development, hotel, and expanded Fantasy Fair including indoor waterpark
    NAV Canada map showing approach and noise contours for Runway 23, which passes directly above Woodbine Centre
    Woodbine Centre’s central atrium, including defunct fountain below glass elevator

    After a disheartening American election result on Tuesday, November 5, I decided to turn off the newsfeeds, and out for a walk and explore Woodbine Centre again.

    Though the basic architecture remains intact, the corridor floors were given cheap new brown, grey, and beige tiles that look out of place in the post-modern interior. Much of the original green paint on the roof, walls, railings, and signs is now red and mahogany.

    Apart from the fast food offerings, there were few recognizable store names among the tenants in 2024. Apart from Hudson’s Bay, Foot Locker, Ardene, The Children’s Place, Dollarama, LensCrafters, TD Bank, and Urban Behavior, most stores were independent clothing, home décor, and furniture stores, or were cellphone vendors such as Wow Mobile, Best Buy Express, or Rogers and Bell kiosks. About 20 percent of the store fronts were vacant.

    Looking towards the old Sears store, which is now All Home Furnishings, which was having a clearance sale in November. Note the Payless Shoe Shack, a knock-off of the defunct Payless Shoe Source chain, on the left.
    Vacant faux-Victorian storefronts at Fantasy Fair

    Professional property managers are quick to update signage and keep up appearances; the management at Woodbine has clearly given up. Vacant storefronts are left exposed, rather than blocked off. Signage advertises stores that are long gone. Pot lights flicker on and off.

    Overhead sign pointing the way to Sears, which closed over seven years ago. The Subway restaurant is also gone. Behind the sign, a shuttered Yogen Fruz/Prestotea store front acts as storage.
    A closed KFC/Taco Bell stall in the food court, with the signage still up and illuminated, despite the equipment taken out

    Surprisingly, Fantasy Fair was still operating, even on a Wednesday afternoon where there were few visitors. Ride attendants, dressed in red vests, looked bored, even when running the train for the lone parent and child. The Ferris wheel is now permanently closed, however, and some of the attractions look sadly decrepit.

    The railway crossing lights, bells, and gates still work at Fantasy Fair when the train passes through

    Outside the mall, much of the parking lot is fenced off and is now used for truck and trailer storage, and the storage of overflow rental car fleets. Though the rental car parking began during the COVID-19 pandemic, when people stopped travelling, it continues to be an easy revenue stream for the mall management. The truck trailers, on the other hand, are an unsightly feature, particularly where they face Highway 27.

    Fenced-off rental cars in the Woodbine Centre parking lot
    Truck trailer parking on part of the mall parking lot

    Unfortunately, the future is not good for Woodbine Centre as a mall. Though mixed-use development remains a possibility — Humber College is within walking distance — the airport noise will continue to be a challenge for condominium sales. Transit expansion would certainly help; the nearly-complete Finch West LRT terminates nearby. Extending that two kilometres south to serve Woodbine Centre, Woodbine Racetrack/Casino, and a planned GO Transit station, could be the boost the site needs. (Of course, the mall site could have made a good location for a mega-spa, particularly with the nearby casino venue and hotels, but I digress.)

    The Humber College LRT terminus is less than a kilometre north of Woodbine Centre

    The mall’s fate will likely be decided soon. The site is up for sale again, not advertised as a shopping centre, but as a “50 acre mixed use site.”

    1992 Tenants

    Below is the list of tenants at Woodbine Centre in 1992, obtained from the 1993 Canadian Directory of Shopping Centres, published by Maclean-Hunter. Tenants still open in 2024 are bolded.

    Anchors
    Anchors: The Bay (140,000 sq.ft.), Sears (135,000 sq.ft.)

    Fashions and footwear
    Children’s Wear: Flora’s, Just Kids.
    Family Wear: Cotton Ginny. 
    Ladies’ Wear: Addition-Elle, Antel’s, Au Coton, Braemar, Braemar Petites, La Cache, The Cavery, Cotton Plus, D’Allaird’s, Dalmy’s, Emotions, Fairweather, Irene Hill, Jacob, La Jolie, Karuba, Lady Foot Locker, Limité, Lindor, Liz Porter, Mia, Northern Reflections, Ports International (Ladies), Reitmans, Ricki’s, Shirley K Maternity, Smart Set, Suzy Shier, Tabi International, Tan Jay, Tristan, Tucci Fashions. 
    Menswear: Casa Angelo, Petrocelle Vomo, Randy River, Star’s Men’s Shop, Steel, Tip Top, Tuxedo Royale.

    Unisex / Men’s & Ladies’ Wear: Benetton, Boca, Bootlegger, Canary Island Adventure & Travel Company, Le Château, Frenz Leather, Jean Machine, Levi’s 1850, Pantorama, The Pro Image, Stitches, Thriftys, Willow Ridge. 
    Footwear/Leather Goods: Agnew, Aldo, Bata, Belinda & Brother, Bentley Leathers, Calderon, Florsheim Shoes, Foot Locker, Fredelle, K. Jamson, Kinney, The Little Shoemaker, Moneysworth & Best, Naturalizer, Pegabo
    Jewellery/Fashion Accessories: Accessories For You, Ardene, The Joy of Sox, Mappins, Peoples Jewellers, Reflexions, Young’s Jewellers

    Other retailers
    Books: Classic Bookshop, Coles, Moyer’s The Teacher’s Store, Smithbooks
    Cosmetics/toiletries: Body Reform, Caryl Baker Visage, Enchante Perfumes, Merle Norman Cosmetics
    Department store/mass merchandiser: Marks & Spencer
    Drugs/health & beauty: Shoppers Drug Mart
    Electronics/Computers: Bell Canada Phone Centre, Compucentre, Majestic Sound Warehouse, Radio Shack, Safe & Sound
    Fabric & Sewing: Needle ‘n’ Thread
    Florist/Nursery: Woodbine Florists
    Furniture & Furnishings: Brass Imports, Clocks Unlimited, Diamond Furniture, Lighting Unlimited, Pictures
    Gift: A. David Soloway, China Panda, Den For Men, Jinny’s China & Gifts, Party Hut, Rafters, Le Roulet
    Grocery: Bulk Barn
    Hardware/Paint & Paper: St. Clair The Paint & Paper People
    Hobby/Craft: Lewiscraft
    Housewares: House of Knives, Pot Pourri, Shaver Centre Fine Blade, Stokes
    Music/Records & Tapes: A&A Music & Entertainment, Discus, Music World
    Optical: LensCrafters
    Pet: Aquarium Toronto
    Photo/Camera: Blacks, Japan Camera
    Restaurant and Fast Food: A & W, Abacus Cuisine, Baby O’Donuts, Dutch Treats, Jimmy The Creek, J.J. Muggs, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Kernels, London Style Fish & Chips, Los Rios, Made In Japan A Teriyaki Experience, Manchu Wok, Manfreds, McDonald’s, Mr. Submarine, New York Fries, Sbarro.
    Specialty Food & Drink: Baskin-Robbins, Laura Secord Mrs. Fields Cookies, mmmarvellous mmmuffins, Swiss Fudge, Timothy’s Coffees of the World, Yogurty’s Yogurt Discovery.
    Stationery/Card: Garfield, Grand & Toy, Hallmark. 
    Toy: Toy World. 
    Variety/Convenience: The Silver Dollar Store, United Cigar Store. 
    Dry Cleaners: Parker’s Cleaners.
    Financial/Legal: Bank of Montreal, Canada Trust
    Hairstyling/Esthetics: The Cut Above, Da Vinci, Tantastic, You’nique Hairstyling.
    Medical/Dental: Eye-Exam Centre, Procare Medical Centre, Woodbine Dental.
    Printing: K.P. Copy.
    Theatre / Entertainment: Cineplex, Orville & Wilbur Family Games, Wizard’s Castle
    Travel: Marlin Travel
    Miscellaneous: Lottery Kiosk

  • Requiem for Ontario’s regional malls

    IMG_8782-001Shoppers World Brampton, 2016, before the Target store was replaced by smaller stores, including Giant Tiger

    Recently, I wrote about the history of Ontario’s downtown malls. Most of these shopping centres, built in the 1970s and 1980s in the downtown cores across the province, failed by the end of the 1990s. The collapse of the Eaton’s department store chain and competition from larger, suburban malls and new big-box retailers drove customers away from Ontario’s downtowns. Only in Toronto and Ottawa, with large downtown office employment, residential development, and good urban transit, did these major shopping malls thrive.

    But that does not mean that all suburban shopping centres are doing well, especially after the loss of Target in 2015 and Sears Canada in 2017. For TVO, I wrote more about how smaller regional malls in Ontario are re-positioning themselves.

    The Brampton house that I grew up in was a ten minute walk from Shoppers World, which, in the 1980s, had a full line department store, Simpson’s, as well as Marks and Spencer, K-Mart (where I had my first paying gig, delivering shopping carts back to the store abandoned in nearby parks), a Pascal hardware store, and two supermarkets, Food City and A&P. Larger, more popular malls like Mississauga’s Square One and Bramalea City Centre were one bus ride away, but Shoppers World held its own, even if it was second tier. By the 1990s, though, it was clear that the mall was in decline: national retailers were leaving and there was a noticeable lack of investment in the property.

    When RioCan REIT purchased Shoppers World in the late 1990s, it made some improvements and attracted big-box retailers like Canadian Tire, Staples, and Winners. Zellers took over the K-Mart store, which was expanded. But The Bay (which replaced Simpson’s) was closed down and the store later demolished. I had left Brampton in 2006, but I was still sad to see my one-time local mall decline. Now RioCan has talked about downsizing the mall, and redeveloping part of the property. Competition from larger, stronger shopping malls, newer retail power centres, the mismanagement of several retail firms, and internet shopping have all taken their toll. Shoppers World isn’t a dead mall, but like many smaller malls, it will be adapting to changing times.

    In the TVO article, I take a look at a few other malls, like London’s Westmount Mall, in similar circumstances.

    ShoppersWorld.jpgShoppers World, 2018. Despite many store vacancies, it’s still a community hub.