Crombie has updated their floor plan map and leasing opportunities list for Avalon Mall, a few interesting things I noticed.

- PSeudio's spot is currently listed as for lease, which I guess confirms what someone else said here that they are moving into Fog City's spot (over 2,000 sqft bigger)
- Eclipse's spot next to Charm on the first floor is listed as empty
- They've also updated to include new stuff such as The Rec Room, Booster Juice moving, and Little Burgundy opening.

Oh I totally realize it’s just a concept drawing with generic store renderings But like I said, it’s pure speculation on my part. I think it would be good though for both chapters and the mall if they moved into the mall expansion space.

Update to my last post, the mall made a post on Facebook to announce/confirm several moves
1. PSeudio is going where Fog City is
2. Fog City IS reopening in the parking lot later this year
3. Claire’s is temporairly going in between The Source & Charm Diamond (Which confirms what someone else suggested that Lush is going to take that space + the space next to it)
4. Samuel & Co is moving next to Aldo Shoes

Avalon Mall Expansion
 

I noticed that steel is now being erected in the lower lot next to the old Sears as part of the next phase of the Avalon Mall Expansion. I'm guessing the entire area will be framed up and cladded in by the time the new Winners and HomeSense opens in August.

They have started construction of the Avalon Mall expansion with one of the two atriums. This will be along the new hallways way leading from the original Sears mall entrance right down to where the new Winners HomeSense will be. Here are a couple of pics I took this past weekend plus schematics of the proposed expansion onto the front parking lot showing the two atriums rising up from the rest of the design. A second schematic showing the floor plan and routes of the hallways into the new retails spaces.

https://scontent-lga3-1.xx.fbcdn.net...f0&oe=5CEDABC1

https://scontent-lga3-1.xx.fbcdn.net...70&oe=5CEC371B

https://scontent-lga3-1.xx.fbcdn.net...7a&oe=5CBBB676

https://scontent-lga3-1.xx.fbcdn.net...b2&oe=5CBA1F45

Telegram Article - Development
 

Pretty much summary of discussion topics on this forum over the past month:

https://www.thetelegram.com/business...on-way-281911/

as I've said before... I bet if we all started saying there was a taco bell coming here a week later they'd report it.

"reportedly" by who? lol

The Mall posted about that on their facebook.

"As we continue with our redevelopment, some of our current retailers will be moving locations. Fog City will relocate to a new location on the mall parking lot later this year, and Pseudio will move into the the Fog City location. Samuel & Co. is moving next to Aldo Shoes, and, for the next year, Claire’s is temporarily located between The Source and Charm Diamond Centres."

I'm pretty certain someone posted it here before the mall posted it.

For someone who complains endlessly on twitter and social media about other news organizations 'scooping' the telegram, Kenn Oliver surely does enough of it from here.

So Fitzpatrick's are auctioning the Fog City stuff - chairs/tables, fridges/stoves, fryers, even the props and speakers in the ceiling.

Would they be doing this is they were going to be relocating??

I would...any new location is going to want new stuff, the best of everything.

As well, stuff gets soooooo beat up by careless work crews who don't give a damn about the stuff they're handling. Heck, even if they DO care, stuff always gets beat up in transit.

Moreover, if you only had 40 tables/chairs and now you need 50, where you gonna get those extra 10? Pay someone to make them. Okay, now you have 10 brand new chairs/tables that look pure mint compared to the stuff - even if its refreshed - from the original location. Just doesn't make sense.

And then, the cost to reproduce and match original equipment is probably near equal to the cost of just buying "new" stuff from elsewhere.

Plus the stuff gets beat to a pulp from general day-to-day use. I'd imagine some of the stuff is 20+ years old and in dire need of replacement. It'll be interesting to see what the new fog city restaurant will look like. I hope they continue to do well. The food is not for everyone, but they serve a purpose.

Anyone hear anything about work at the former Goodlife on Torbay Rd? There's a dumpster out front now and there was a commercial permit for retail for that location in the last City Council Agenda. I've been wondering if the Sobeys next door is expanding into the space and finally getting spruced up a bit (ie renovated)

Not sure if it's already been mentioned here but according to The Telegram the Newfoundland Chocolate Company is going in to the Torbay Rd mall where the dollar store was. Apparently it's going to be production + retail section.

Shoppers redevelopment at Freshwater / Empire has been approved by City Council finally. Perhaps see some work there soon.

Seeing reported that Payless will be closing all Canadian locations. They have 2 locations in St. John's - the Avalon Mall and the Village Mall.

Closing all North American locations - 248 in Canada
https://globalnews.ca/news/4975274/p...X0UVrxBoo4Z3qk

Ron.

It’s another Dollarama

I’ve seen documentation from the building owner, dollarama is indeed going there

Yeah, it was in the news last week.

Just when I thought they have completely saturated the market. So in addition to the 8 Dollarama locations in metro, we can expect 4 more this year. Water Street, Galway, Torbay Road and Paradise. Now I have to rethink....maybe they could squeeze a few more in. lol

I was so disappointed to hear that Dollarama is going in next to Sobeys on Torbay Rd. Can we have something different...please.

I remember reading an article a few years ago about how low-cost stores like Dollarama were doing pretty well particularly in a weakened economy and they had plans for aggressive expansion.

I think their business model probably requires a high volume of sales and seeing how their stores are on the smaller size I could see why they might need a lot of them to hit the volume required. It seems like they are basically trying to become the micro version of Walmart.

... and surprisingly enough, I don' think a Dollarama exists in Mount Pearl.

I live in Mount Pearl, and yes, it is a Dollarama-free zone. There is just nowhere to put one. The Only Deals store has a long term lease in the Pearlgate area and a no-compete clause from what I heard, so that rules out the Pearlgate area which is pretty much the only area that has the space for one. There is pretty much nowhere on Commonwealth to accommodate one building wise and certainly not parking wise. I'm guessing the new Topsail Road West location serves part of Mount Pearl and the Galway location will serve the other part.

Downtown Business
 

The Village
 

Was at the Village yesterday and noticed that Laura Secord is gone.

Also checked Hakim Optical and was pleasantly surprised to find the experienced staff of Sears Optical working there.

Laura Secord has been gone from the Village for quite some time now.

I went to the Village Mall the other day, and I was pleasantly surprised that the VILLAGE MALL WAS STILL OPEN !!
This place has been a literal ghost-town for years now, and I am amazed that any retail outlet are able to keep their doors open in here , especially with such a obvious lack of traffic flow from Customers. With the exception of a small number of retailers, I am guessing that pretty much every store in the Village is on the verge of shutting down.

I think (hope) Sportchek us doing ok. Maybe Bed Bath and Beyond but I suspect you're right about the rest of them.

I would imagine Dollarama is doing ok haha. Also Tan Jay who are very popular with the senior set.

Article on Downtown Rental prices
 

Don't forget Home Hardware. I suspect that does well, although I don't visit there much. Convenient location for a hardware store for anyone living in the west end. I wonder if the TGH impacted their business now that Home Depot and Kent is more accessible from that part of town.

More downtown news. Whink has purchased the Newfoundland Weavery. Also the Kitchen Queen has closed.

How to increase spending downtown: Close streets to traffic. It's crazy how both Water and Duckworth are both two way traffic. It would be better for traffic, businesses and padestrians alike if they were at least one way.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/carlton...mpression=true

Report on Galway retail on ntv the other night. Nothing new really although they did mention a large retailer that had yet to be announced. They talked to the managers of a few stavanger stores that are opening locations in galway (Marshall's, etc) and the managers said the stavanger stores were staying. Also they reported the bowrings space has been leased.

http://ntv.ca/new-galway-retail-stri...t-school-year/
here's a video link for anyone interested!

Ropewalk Lane Area Booming After Injection of New Businesses:
http://vocm.com/news/ropewalk-lane-a...ew-businesses/

Has anyone heard anything about the buildings there on the corner behind Plaza Bowl? I know the owner was on NTV a few months ago saying he had two big franchises moving in there, but there's been no sign of activity there since.

Giant Tiger
 

Giant Tiger definitely a candidate for new store in St. John's

https://www.thestar.com/business/201...tors-fade.html

I wondered that myself. I drove by recently and one of the units looked like it may have had something going in there. They look like they've been ready to go for some time but nothing has appeared.

CBC is reporting that Pipers is to close stores in Mt. pearl and on O'Leary Ave and open one in Bay Roberts.

Wanna share the link to this story? Cause I don't see anything.

Kind of find that hard to believe after all the renovations and promotion and everything they put in recently on O'Leary Avenue.

It was a tweet from Ramona Dearing, the Radio Noon host.
https://twitter.com/RamonaDearing

Confirmed on the telegram website
https://www.thetelegram.com/business...h-plan-294951/

With Giant Tiger inevitably arriving, I guess Pipers are refocusing on how and where they can still do well before that day comes.

What is Giant Tiger? Is it similar to Pipers?

I think I was only in one once but if I remember correctly Giant Tiger was sort of like a mini supermarket/large Dollarama.

If I had to make a guess Dollarama probably has had more of an impact on Pipers than Giant Tiger(which isn't even here yet)

Giant Tiger is a Canadian Chain of 250 stores....basically a mini Walmart Supercentre compressed to the size of Shoppers Drug Mart. They sell a little of everything from clothes to household goods to groceries, including meat and produce in many stores. They have stores in every province but NL and BC, but are planning to expand even more. They remind me of a bigger box, less cluttered, version of Pipers or, as goodgrowth stated above...mini supermarket/large Dollarama.