[esquire]

What it really boils down to is the fact that Portage Place was built on the faulty assumption that Eaton's and The Bay downtown stores would continue to be thriving destinations for years to come. In reality, Eaton's was in real trouble by the early 90s (they began closing floors in the mid 90s and shut the whole thing down by 1999), and while The Bay has fared a bit better, it has been on a steady but gradual descent for the last few decades. Downtown shopping as it was in the early 80s when Portage Place was conceived and how it is now are two completely different scenarios.

Without those anchors, what's the point of retail at Portage Place? As we're finding out now, there really isn't one. In some ways, turning Portage Place entirely into office space might give the rest of downtown retail a shot in the arm... it might encourage more streetfront locations on Portage, Graham and other downtown avenues.