[Saint John] Retail Thread

[RaginRonic]

Originally Posted by DyAm00394

Signage is now installed for No Frills at 212 McAllister Drive. Opening later this month. (Photo is from Retail Talk & Share NB).

You know...seeing that makes me happy that Parkway Mall's grocery store drought, which has existed since Sunday, October 11, 1998, is soon to be finished.

Parkway's a shopping centre that I always thought should have groceries being moved out of it, and maybe this store can help Parkway get truly lit up again.

[DyAm00394]

Firehouse Subs is now hiring a Restaurant General Manager for their new 2nd location coming soon to the city. Will be located at 30 Plaza Avenue, same building as Dollarama on the west side.

[DyAm00394]

No Frills is now open at 212 McAllister Drive.



(Photo is from Facebook)

[sailor734]

Tried Stacked Pancakes (east) for the first time today. The food I actually got (bacon, eggs, homefries) was good but the service was pretty iffy and the kitchen was obviously struggling (food coming out in widely spaced dribs and drabs and some things forgotten)....bit of a sh*t show to tell the truth.

Ordered coffee when I sat down but it didn't arrive until about 30 seconds before the food. Never did get the pancake I ordered on the side or the toast that was part of the breakfast before I finished eating........ or the glass of milk I'd asked for to come when the food was delivered. The server dumped the food off and never came back until I was finished eating.

She claimed they had just gotten slammed and there were only 2 servers on. They were only about 30% full when I sat down so that's doesn't seem like much of an excuse. AFAIK they have been open for about a month and a half now so you would think the worst of the kinks would be worked out.

Hopefully they can get their house in order as the menu is interesting and what food I did get was pretty good. The breakfast special (3 strips of bacon, 2 eggs, homefries and toast) for 6.99 before 0900 is a great deal. I might give them another try in a few months and see if they have a better handle on things.

[MonctonRad]

I find Stacked in Moncton pretty good (I haven't tried the one in Dieppe). They have been open for some time and are certainly better organized than you described. The early bird special (before 9 AM) is hard to beat for value. I particularly like their coffee.

I think they are doing pretty well, especially given their location on the far end of the Plaza Boulevard Centre. It's a little out of the way,

[DyAm00394]

SmartCentres has updated their listing on Loopnet.com back on June 3rd 2025.

Now the 10,000sf corner spot next to Carter’s is no longer showing as available. Any ideas what could be going there? It will be a permanent tenant because when popups like Spirit Halloween and Christmas Discounters was using the space, it still showed as available for lease the whole entire time they were open.

One thing I also noticed was that the SmartCentres in Halifax updated their listing too on the same day, showing the spot that Dollar Tree is supposed to be located at as no longer available. That space and the space in SJ are both around the same size, just the SJ space is 900sf bigger.

Could SmartCentres have possibly made a deal with Dollar Tree to open in more than just their Halifax property?

Just some speculation, but we shall see what will be going in this space.

[DyAm00394]

Blueberry Commerical has confirmed that New Brunswick's first Dollar Tree is opening in Saint John. They also announced Bedford and Halifax Nova Scotia. All three opening 2025. They also teased that other locations will be announced soon.

Source: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1B9GTp2QtU/

[bingun]

It shows available again now for me? Regardless, it is interesting to see their units slowly filling up. Osmow's has been open for a while, and the new Indian restaurant is set to open shortly.

[DyAm00394]

Originally Posted by bingun

It shows available again now for me? Regardless, it is interesting to see their units slowly filling up. Osmow's has been open for a while, and the new Indian restaurant is set to open shortly.

SmartCentres is always very slow at updating their own website. I notice they update it about once or twice a year lol.

The new change I was talking about was on their listings on other sites like Loopnet: https://www.loopnet.com/Listing/450-Westmorland-Rd-Saint-John-NB/25795379/ and City Feet: https://www.cityfeet.com/cont/listing/450-westmorland-rd-saint-john-nb-e2j-4z2/cs25795379. Both have been recently updated no longer listing the big 10,000sf unit.

[bingun]

Originally Posted by DyAm00394

SmartCentres is always very slow at updating their own website. I notice they update it about once or twice a year lol.

The new change I was talking about was on their listings on other sites like Loopnet: https://www.loopnet.com/Listing/450-Westmorland-Rd-Saint-John-NB/25795379/ and City Feet: https://www.cityfeet.com/cont/listing/450-westmorland-rd-saint-john-nb-e2j-4z2/cs25795379. Both have been recently updated no longer listing the big 10,000sf unit.

Ahh, my mistake. That leaves just one unit unoccupied. When was the last time all of those units were occupied?

I was down that way on Saturday, and it was very busy in the vicinity. Traffic was backed up down Consumers Drive all the way to that unit we are discussing. It definitely feels noticeably different than a few years ago, with the mall in fairly good shape, and new additions like Giant Tiger and now No Frills.

I was also up at East Point, and while I didn't take a picture, the RBC is progressing. However, the other large retail unit next door still looks mostly incomplete, just an empty shell. It doesn't seem like they are in a hurry to get a tenant in there.

[DyAm00394]

Seeing some chatter that Toys R Us at McAllister Place has store closing signs up. Employees have confirmed to someone today they are closing, just no date yet. Apparently, the Champlain Place location in Dieppe is also closing, as well as the Dartmouth Crossing location in Nova Scotia.

[RaginRonic]

Originally Posted by DyAm00394

Seeing some chatter that Toys R Us at McAllister Place has store closing signs up. Employees have confirmed to someone today they are closing, just no date yet. Apparently, the Champlain Place location in Dieppe is also closing, as well as the Dartmouth Crossing location in Nova Scotia.

Sears Canada was an anchor for MP that never saw 30 years in the mall.

Sadly, it looks like Toys R' Us will experience the same fate, missing that mark by about a shade over a year.

I kind of wish the Maritimes were able to have the Toys R' Us chain in what ended up as it's 'glory era' of the 1980s, especially the period between 1984-1988 (1984 being the year when Toys R' Us entered Canada), when it had the following toylines available at differing points in that era (which also had corresponding animated TV series attached to them).

-'GI Joe-A Real American Hero' (animated series began Sept. 12, 1983)
-'He-Man & the Masters of the Universe' (animated series began Sept. 26, 1983)
-'The Transformers' (animated series began Sept. 17, 1984)
-'ThunderCats' (animated series began Jan. 23, 1985)
-'She-Ra: Princess of Power' (animated series began Sept. 9, 1985)
-'Jem (& The Holograms)' (animated series began Nov. 3, 1985)
-'The Care Bears' (Nelvana animated series began Sept. 13, 1986)
-'The Real GhostBusters' (animated series began same day as Care Bears Nelvana)
-'My Little Pony' (animated series began Sept. 15, 1986)
-'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' (animated series began Dec. 28, 1987)

In any event, I guess it's soon-to-be farewell to Toys R' Us at McAllister Place, which opened on Thurs., Oct. 10, 1996.

[ivegotaname]

I fondly remember having stopped in early 80s when portland had a toys r us buy ball cards and super soakers then a couple yeare after bangor got one which was great. Made bangor a destination instead of a pit stop and then we got one and I got too old and lost interest in it totally together

[DyAm00394]

Signage is now installed for the city's 2nd Firehouse Subs. Located at 30 Plaza Avenue on the west side.

[DyAm00394]

Apparently Martin Max Technology is moving into the former Coles space at McAllister Place.

They are currently located at Market Square uptown and this will be a 2nd location. They are also eyeing an expansion to Fredericton as well.

Description of the store:

"Martin + Max Technology is a cutting-edge store, specializing in 3D printed items, toys, gadgets, and office supplies. Offering a wide range of innovative products, Martin + Max brings the latest in 3D printing technology to life, from unique toys and cool gadgets to practical office essentials. Whether you’re looking for something fun or functional, this store is your go-to destination for tech-inspired creations and everyday supplies".

[DyAm00394]

Looks like Neo Financial is opening July 2025 at McAllister Place. The map on the mall's website shows it as a kiosk where Virgin Plus was between Fido and Atlantic Lotto booth.

It's also opening July 2025 at Regent Mall in Fredericton.

https://www.neofinancial.com/

[sailor734]

The Tipsy Tomato in Millidgeville shut down a couple of days ago.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/16905026...y_seen&multi_permalinks=4219273374972009

Noticed yesterday the entire patio is gone as is all signage.

[DyAm00394]

An opening soon sign for Spirit Halloween is now up at the former Queen’s Buffet spot at 212 McAllister Drive. (Right next to Value Village).

[bingun]

Originally Posted by sailor734

The Tipsy Tomato in Millidgeville shut down a couple of days ago.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/16905026...y_seen&multi_permalinks=4219273374972009

Noticed yesterday the entire patio is gone as is all signage.

I wonder if it is worth the bother of renting out again if they plan to demolish it in the not-too-distant future.

[DyAm00394]

Best Buy at 80 Consumers Drive is currently undergoing major renovations.