Sorry.. It's like a month to month lease thing, but not even in a shop. Just out on the floor. Looks like the guy probably hauled in his kiosk from somewhere else, maybe another mall.

Small potatoes, but Giant Tiger is giving its downtown store a bit of an interior makeover. Stands to reason given that the downtown location is probably among the oldest and has never been freshened up.

I stopped in there to pick up a couple of food items, and I have to say it must be one of the busiest stores downtown. There's always a bunch of people inside, and it caters to diverse groups including nearby residents, workers and visitors (even saw some people with FCM lanyards). It's a very useful place to have around.... makes me wonder if a second such store would be a better downtown amenity than another Dollarama.

Not sure why but CityPlace seems to be actively working to drive out tenants. They did the whole reno to their center court area and added the escalator for after hours access to Shark Club, etc. but ended up loosing the florist that was long at center court. They seem to have done a similar push to get rid of the tenants on the run over by Boston Pizza. I get that those all might not have been the most high values tenants but it was better than an empty unit.

In terms of Giant Tiger it seems they are doing a wider brand update. I see they have been making changes to the outdoor signs on the Portage Ave store near Unicity. I am not sure their exact measure of draw for a store but gut feel is the current downtown store captures too much of the market they would need to pull in to leave space for a second store downtown.

Lucky Supermarket Maples Marketplace
 

I was certainly "worked up" yesterday afternoon during my first visit to the new Lucky Supermarket in The Maples Marketplace. Very impressed would put it mildly. I have always shopped at The Superstore on McPhillips. I used to do the bulk of the monthly shop there and completed it at The Maples IGA. Then IGA closed. I will now be dividing future groceries between the the two. Lucky's meat prices were astonishing. I saw an American news report that mentioned that the price of beef was decreasing rapidly. Not here. I bought a sirloin tip roast at Superstore last week at roughly $33.00 a kilogram. The roast was small and cost $18.00. I compared prices at Lucky's and the same roast would have been about $10.00. I was blown away by the meat prices. The produce is actually fresh and in many instances was cheaper than Superstore. I will definitely shop there regularly. I even got a free item. The staff is very pleasant.

Must be a full chain makeover. I was at the one next to my dentist in the Munroe shopping center in Morse Place and it had been remodeled since I was last in there 6 months ago.

Yeah, most if not all of the GT's are changed over to the big, yellow wall right when you walk in. Cllew must've been there just before renos started. Probably last summer or so.

According to the Free Press Jollibee, the Filipino McDonalds will be opening in Northgate and one other location unimportant to me at the moment so I don't remember it but I believe it was around Polo Park.

I wonder if this is what they are building in the parking lot but the article clearly says IN Northgate so maybe not?

Edit - Just found a website that shows the pad site will be Jollibee. I guess Tim Hortons is not coming to the area after all nor is Dairy Queen moving to the pad site.

For some odd reason I am unable to find that story on the WFP website, outside of the E Edition. I wonder why?

http://ee.winnipegfreepress.com/?tok...w2m5q2p6ffie7h

The other location will be at 1400 Ellice in the new pad sites they have built there recently.

http://filipinojournal.com/jollibee-...-open-in-2017/

Anytime Fitness is going in above the Shoppers on Osborne. The owner is hoping to open in September and is finalizing plans for an outdoor, rooftop workout area. I've always found it crazy that there's no outdoor gym spaces here — I'd switch for that.

I haven't seen a Florist shop at CityPlace in the last few years. Center court? So was it between the escalators and where the shoe shop repair store (now located on the 2nd level) used to be?

No, it was closer to the CIBC and tobacco shop. Basically the opposite wall of the Graham Ave. entrance.

You can flip tires or push a sled in the alley behind Proagressive, but yeah. That's a pretty cool use for the space.

Ok, thanks.

Speaking on the subject, if it's any consolation the space on the 2nd floor directly above the tabacco shop has had 2 recent occupants. One an eye glasses store that has since relocated to a larger unit near the food court and another that, I can't recall what at this point, has opened recently. I've always though that unit had popup/startup potential.

Also, in the center court region a cell phone repair/case kiosk opened last week.

It's currently some independent tea shop

From the latest Murray McNeil piece:

Canadian Tire at Grant Park is set up open June 23.

Also, the article mentions another mystery anchor tenant that will be joining the mall. According the mall manager:

"...a number of existing tenants at the west end of the mall also are being moved around to make room for another new anchor tenant that’s coming to the mall. She wouldn’t say who it is because the leasing deal hasn’t yet been finalized. "But it’s going to be a sizable tenant," she said."

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/bus...381934061.html

That could be a real Winner.

^ Now that mainstream downtown retail has pretty much faded into history, these types of large-format retailers popping up in a somewhat central location like Grant Park is great news for anyone who lives in an older inner suburb nearby... I hated having to schlep out to Polo Park or Kenaston for anything I couldn't get at Portage Place and with these new retailers popping up at GP, I'll rarely have to do that anymore.

I live close to the MTSC and it is easy to take the bus to Polo Park or Grant Park.

Back in the day when it first opened in 1967, GP had two (!) department stores and two supermarkets.

1. Woolco (dep't)
2. Gambles (dep't)
3. Safeway (supr)
4. Dominion (supr)

There was no Kenaston Commons or any other competition, except for Polo Park.

It was pretty much a very busy mall.

I remember going there with my family on Saturdays starting off at Woolco and then I'd pop into Metro Drugs (where Shoppers is now), play some pinball or one of the electronic games in the arcade (where the washrooms near the A&W are now). Then sit on the HVAC "bench" at Gambles and watch all of the depressed middle aged shoppers pass by.

After Zellers was replaced by the failed Target Canada, GP was never the same again.

And I don't think it's gonna change much when CT opens.

The mall needs a place where people can buy clothing for themselves and their kids, and there is nothing there now.

The recent renovations where the Liquor Mart moved to created a whole dead space nearby where there are just walls with murals on them. That fast food place I see is permanently closed.

Because everyone is d/l'ding movies and sub'ing to Netflix, the 8 screen movie theatre is hardly busy.

Now my perception and observation is that it's verging on dead.

There is no BIG draw, and even McNally's doesn't get the customers coming in like they did 20 years ago.

It's my home mall, and I feel quite sad that it's become what it has.:(

I hope though, that someday it'll come back. Hey, even Detroit is coming back a bit.

^ I don't think it's quite that grim, there's still a good number of shoppers in there. The lack of an active anchor in there right now hurts them. (I find it amazing that there were two competing supermarkets in there, though... where was the Dominion store located?)

I don't think GP will attain busy regional mall status again... it's just too small for that. But it does have a pretty important niche if only because it's one of the only convenient malls serving a fairly substantial part of the city.

I certainly miss Target, though... that place was excellent for kids' things and clothes. Wal-Mart just isn't the same.

Gambles and Dominion !?!? wow, flash back, you did grow up in the area..:haha:

Hung out at Pirates Den didn't ya.. ;)

The Pirate's Den was awesome! Spent a lot of my lunch money (and youth) in that place.

Anybody remember the old setup at Polo Park with Loblaws and Dominion right across from each other?

We probably crossed paths on many an occasion..:)

Yup, I started out living near Stafford/Harrow and Corydon area.

I attended Rockwood Elem. for Kindergarten and St. Iggys for Grades 1-3.

Yeah, back in the 70s there wasn't much for a kid like me to spend their money on. Spent on Pirates Den a fair bit. Nothing to show for it.

One day the Bally Sea Wolf game went on *Free* mode and I played a few games on it before I had to go back to my family.

http://www.bayareaarcades.com/classi...hire/sea-wolf/

http://www.bayareaarcades.com/wp-con...olf-Arcade.jpg

I used to deliver CT, Sears catalogues, Lance community paper. My Dad was district mgr. for River Heights area.\

I always used to go by every pinball machine and hit the play button. Good for a free game once in a while!

We talked about this before, arcades. I am of the generation where arcades were on the way out when I was a child. The arcade at Grand Marais was lots of fun in the summers! Otherwise it was mostly movie theatre lobbies for me.

^^ Rockwood..haha..ditto..:) Thanks for a look back and the Arcade, something that Portage Ave was swamped with at the time as well..

Rockwood Kindergarten 1971-72 afternoon slot. I remember we started in early October. There had been a rainy day previous and I somehow slipped on the mud spot by the building and I guess I had to get sent home.

St. Iggy's didn't have a Kindergarten room at the time.

A couple of the students transferred over to St. Iggy's, one of them Crystal Gartner (her dad was a barber nearby). I think we had a crush on each other but didn't follow thru.

There was a Gulf station there, prior to it being sold to Petro Canada in August 1985.

I'd like to see some old photos of the GP site and indoors of the mall someday. I guess the Prov. Archives would have something like this.

They do have a mural inside the mall close to the Co-Op, but there are not many photos.

Arcades were absurdly overregulated in Winnipeg back in the day, they were rarer than hen's teeth outside of downtown. I think you needed a permit if you wanted more than two or three of them in your business, and there was always an army of neighbourhood busybodies ready to come out and oppose any application for one.

I did my videogaming/pinball playing at Winnipeg Beach... Silver City Arcade, Beach Fun Centre and Playland FTW :) Silver City actually had that Sea Wolf game that zebra posted...

^^^

Well, I can't remember how many total videogams there were at Pirate's Den, but I think there were at least 3 or 4 pinball games in and of itself.

Compared to Silver City arcade, GP was a bit quieter. I cringe everytime I have to walk thru there, especially at St. Vital.

The games are more costly to play too. Some are now $1.

I frequented Kildonan Place Famous Players quite a bit in the 90's. I don't think there are any vids left in there now. That place needs an overhaul/rebrand. Maybe they'd get some more people coming in there. Or maybe there are just too many theatres now a days, due to the internet taking over.

From memory the Gambles, which later became a Zellers, would be to the west of where the second floor ends. Then between Gambles and Safeway (now a Coop) was Dominion. Pretty sure the Coop is also much further west than those days as the west end was the McDonalds with the pirate ship, long before it moved to the pad site.

Pirate`s Den was also great as they tended to get newer games sooner than a lot of other arcades it seemed. Didn`t live near there but my dad worked near by so was an occasional visitor.

I think the decline in movie attendance at Grant Park is has as much to do with not being part of the massive Cineplex chain as it does to the trend of watching at home from Netflix, etc.

I know how it feels, I grew up with Northgate which used to be busy at one point with Kmart and Zellers and many other shops, and even had Santa at Christmas time but that all changed with Kmart leaving and the mall shrinking. Got even worse when Zellers closed and the mall owners just sat on their ass. Seems now they are trying to turn things around.

That seems to be the order of things in this illustration of the mall from 1969.
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...psysgljpor.jpg

I wouldn't mind winning that flight to Churchill with return trip on the Lord Selkirk though.

On the heels of Jollibee, this could be very unique for Winnipeg.

http://accesswinnipeg.com/2016/02/se...winnipeg-soon/

Grant Park
 

Grant Park Mall Empty End:
"The recent renovations where the Liquor Mart moved to created a whole dead space nearby where there are just walls with murals on the wall."

According to a friend that works in this Mall, this seemingly empty end will be transformed into Marshall's/Homesense.

That would be good.

seems like grant park has its sh*t together more than kildonan place and polo park!

I thought it was called Pirates Cove. I'm probably wrong.

In 94-95 we used to ride our bikes to Magic Land on Portage and Furby (I think) from Charleswood during summer holidays. My parents would not approve.

For a while in the 90s and/or 2000s, the Aspers owned or managed GP, but once Izzy passed on they sold it.

They also had Garden City Square too... that was kind of a strange place, a small tier-three mall right across the street from a regional mall. Needless to say GCS never took off... it emptied out by the mid 90s and was reconfigured into a big box collection.

Wow - I used to love playing Sea Wolf at the arcade in Grant Park in the late 70s. My family would go there for Woolco.

The same could be said with Crossroads @ Regent Ave W & Lag.

Only difference being that Crossroads was built before Kildonan Place. Garden City Square came after Garden City shopping Center if I recall properly.

Wouldn't go that far. Polo and KP are doing similar things as Gp. Target at KP is being carved up with good retailers. H&M and Homes ensemble.

I have a feeling a Marshalls/Home Sense could be coming to Northgate too. They do want to come to this area and have ruled out the former Safeway and Future Shop so why not the former Kmart? Seems like the mall owners want to turn things around and this would be a good way of doing it.

As far as Garden City Square is concerned they should level the former Safeway and what's left of the mall and rebuild, if not they will sit on that vacancy for a long time I'm guessing. On the flip side that would a good place for Seafood City ;)

Just drove by Northgate and noticed they already have the steel framing up on the new pad site and I do think it is large enough for a Tim's and a Jollibee, and perhaps a small DQ, who knows.

As far as the mall is concerned, I think they could end up tearing down everything from Royal Bank/Pizza Hut to where Zellers was to open up more parking and allow Marshalls/HomeSense if they are coming to the mall, to have an exterior entrance as they seem to prefer. The mall entrance would then be redone there to allow access from that end. I'm having a lot of fun speculating all the possibilities, lol.

I do however think moving Dairy Queen out of the mall could hurt them a bit. I am pretty certain they get a decent amount of lunch time business from the school kids in the area, particularly from Avery, but I don't think those kids will want to walk through the parking lot to get there.

Northgate was always a strange beast. It started as a strip mall similar to what you would see today by a big box story but with an enclosed sidewalk. Then it built the mall on the parking lot to basically mirror the strip mall and enclose the connection from KMart to Zellers. When it opened it had this odd mix of national chains and small mom and pop type shops. Eventually the national chains disappeared, KMart closed, Zellers moved their mall entrance to the east and part of the mall was demoed restoring some parking and giving Zellers a parking lot entrance again. Following the collapse of Kmart Zellers expanded into the former Kmart space on two different occasions if my memory is correct. At some point along the way the bowling alley closed, became a food court then closed and was demoed including removing a couple of stalls from the car wash to make way for Cinema City. Lots of changes over the years.

Of course the free standing building in the parking lot was at one time a Loblaws and changed to follow the morphing brands that chain used in western Canada before eventually moving to their current location at the site of the old Red River Coop lumber yard and food store.

That is an old link someone dug up from February and seems to be based on even more speculation and dreams that the often discussed T&T location.

Not really all that strange as it mirrored many developments at the time such as River East Plaza, Northgate, Crossroads, Fort Richmond Plaza, etc where you get two larger stores wanting space in a neighbourhood and they open up a mall between them. In its prime it did a good job getting a mix of national, local and mom and pop shops especially considering it was across from a then regional mall.

It is incredible rare to build retail space a pure speculation, even rarer to demo an existing space which has some value to then build a on speculation. If a landlord was willing to make those sort of moves they would include it in negotiations for the new space. Why would you want to demo a functional grocery store to say build multiple 5,000 sq ft units with separate climate controls, etc to then have say Farm Boy show up, love the location but need you to spend money tearing out the nearly built units to make a large, functional grocery store?

Well if they can't find another grocer to fill that space then they might not have a choice other than to redevelop the space. Hopefully they can get Co-op in there, especially with their Main Street store closing, leaving them out of a store in this area, if not then I don't know what else they are going to do with the space.

Surprised they haven't found anyone to fill the Future Shop face yet.

I was at Northgate this afternoon and noticed yet another vacancy, the restaurant that is right outside Cinema City. I would have thought they would do well in that location, oh well. Lot's of For Lease signs have gone up in the vacant stores, including that one. Nestors is still open, they are still packing I guess, and same with the Portuguese store Bella Casa. Only a matter of time before those 2 close up for good.

Never knew there was a bowling alley at Northgate before, must have been in the 80s before I moved to the area. Maybe they should bring that back!

I agree with Cory B, the owners of Garden City Square redevelop it won't be on spec, it will be a built to order renovation.

I can't recall if Safeway closed or lost its least there. If they closed they may still be paying a go dark lease to the landlord until it gets sub-leased or the lease ends.