London's Malls

[ericlewis91]

Why hasn't Masonville announced anything about the old Sears space? You think they would by now...

Why hasn't anything leaked?

[GreatTallNorth2]

I talked to the mall manager and a leasing manager from Toronto (saw them in the mall) and they said that when they have an announcement, they will make it. It will obviously be very official when they have everything in place.

I have heard from a few people that the Sears space will be divided up for multiple retailers. There are several stores that could go into the former Sears space - like H&M, Sephora, Urban Outfitters, Old Navy, etc. I have also heard that the Bay could move into the Sears space.

I wish it was a new department store and maybe an expansion of the mall to fit new retailers, but that doesn't look like that will be the case. So many malls in Canada have been refurbished and expanded or are in the planning stages. Due to London's sprawl retail (and everything) there is not a great concentration of retail like most cities. With London's population, we could easily have a mall that is double the size of Masonville. Instead of having stores scattered all over, they could be in the mall, but I guess that can't happen because it makes too much sense.

[MolsonExport]

When the chips fall, there will be only one mall of note in London, and that mall is Masonville. Which augers well for the future of the mall, although poorly for the others, and moreover for residents living anywhere but North/Western London. Big Box hell elsewhere.

[HillStreetBlues]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

When the chips fall, there will be only one mall of note in London, and that mall is Masonville.

I haven’t been to White Oaks for about two years now, but when I was there the last few times it seemed to be bustling. I always remember it being a really big deal. Is it in serious decline as well?

[haljackey]

I wouldn't say serious, but it's not what it was 2-5 years ago.

[ericlewis91]

Masonville has been booming lately

Over the past few years

Apple, Victoria Secret, Forever 21, Express (some examples)

Some stores that have huge drawing power compared to White Oaks

[ssiguy]

This conversation really brings me back.

In the late 70s/early 80s here was the rundown of the major malls and their main anchor stores:

Westmount......Eaton's, Dominion, Shopper Drug Mart, Marks n Spencers, 89 stores
White oaks.......Simpson's, Loblaws,80 stores
Oakridge........Woolco, Loblaws,30 stores
Sherwood Forest.......Zellers, Miracle Mart,30 stores
London Mall..........KMart,10 stores
Westown Plaza Mall.........Miracle Mart, Shoppers,40 stores
Wellington Square...........Eatons,50 stores

and of course the old Covenet garden Market under the parking garage behind the venerable Simpsons at Dundas & Richmond, god rest her soul. Across from Kingsmills on Dundas the was also a small Woolworth with a decent size basement shopping area.

It may surprise some of you to know that London also has a downtown grocery store and a fairly large one...........Dominion. I believe it was on York near the Talbot area but it folded around '76. There was also the northland, Arglye, and Oxbury mall but we very rarely went there so I can't remember the anchor stores. The Wonderland Mall came on the scene in about 1980 but it never really amounted to much especially due to Westmount being just down the road.

Remember kids this was back when the Guy Lombardo bridge didn't even exist and to get from the London Mall to Westmount you had to go thru Byron, and then up Boler Road to Viscount.

The downfall of Westmount actually began when they started expanding it in the 80s..........it never recovered from it's glory days and they would have been far better off if they had just left it the way it was.

If we are still a bunch of losers and talking about this 30 years from now I am willing to bet that if there is only one mall still standing in London, it won't be White Oaks or Masonville but rather the old standby of Westown Plaza Mall. It has a complete captive audience with all the apt towers around it with a lot of students and elderly folks.

[MolsonExport]

Westown has long been rebranded Cherryhill village mall. It is (still) chock-filled of elderly folk, with stores aligned to that demographic.

Sherwood Forest Mall (Wonderbread and Gainsburger) is still around and almost thriving (the interior portion has seen better days, but it is mostly all rented, and still mostly with shops as opposed to services, although the latter is creeping).

Long ago, I wrote off London mall for dead (it had but two interior shops: some southern BBQ restaurant and a place selling Pakistani Saris). With the arrival of the Chinese supermarket, it is filling up with sideshow stores targeting recently-arrived Asians.

[HillStreetBlues]

Originally Posted by ssiguy

...Remember kids this was back when the Guy Lombardo bridge didn't even exist and to get from the London Mall to Westmount you had to go thru Byron, and then up Boler Road to Viscount.

Holy smokes! I guess it hasn’t “always been there,” but it feels like it to me...

It took me a second to figure out what the Westown was (I did eventually remember, and thanks Molson for confirming for me). I went there a lot when I lived in London (Sherwood Forest, too), and I agree with the assessment that the captive market will sustain it for a long time. Last time I was in, I was again pleasantly surprised that the food court was looking to be in okay shape. And I think that the CAA is a great store to have that will assure a lot more foot traffic than anything else that would fill a space of that size. Is the hardware store still there?

How is the Chinese supermarket in Westmount doing? I have not stopped in at the one in London Mall, but pleased to hear it’s spurring some activity. However, London Mall is a depressing building and ridiculously large parking lot not at all befitting an important intersection.

[MolsonExport]

The Chinese supermarket at Westmount is very busy (aren't they all?). Best thing to move into Westmount since Target. I reckon that it is even busier than Target.

[K85]

Wonderland road in 1955

http://www.lib.uwo.ca/files/madgic/airphoto/london55/photos/Line4244_78.jpg

[manny_santos]

Originally Posted by ssiguy

This conversation really brings me back.

In the late 70s/early 80s here was the rundown of the major malls and their main anchor stores:

Westmount......Eaton's, Dominion, Shopper Drug Mart, Marks n Spencers, 89 stores
White oaks.......Simpson's, Loblaws,80 stores
Oakridge........Woolco, Loblaws,30 stores
Sherwood Forest.......Zellers, Miracle Mart,30 stores
London Mall..........KMart,10 stores
Westown Plaza Mall.........Miracle Mart, Shoppers,40 stores
Wellington Square...........Eatons,50 stores

I've heard Westown Plaza Mall had a Canadian Tire where Shoppers now is, is that true?

[MolsonExport]

I heard that too. That it closed and moved to Masonville area (which subsequently closed and moved to big box barfland at Hyde Parking Lot Rd. and Fanshawe Pk Rd.).

Now Cherryhill is anchored by the Shoppers Dog Fart at one end and Metro (one of the few that has not been re-converted to a Food Basics)

[HillStreetBlues]

Originally Posted by K85

Wonderland road in 1955

http://www.lib.uwo.ca/files/madgic/airphoto/london55/photos/Line4244_78.jpg

Thanks!

By the way, I'm very much enjoying the varying descriptors for Big Box Hell.

London must be getting a lot more diverse than I remember it, as it boggles my mind that two Asian grocery stores can co-exist, let alone thrive, just up Wonderland from one another. They're a great asset, though, I love going to the ones near me.

I haven't experienced this conversion of A&P/Metros to Food Basics, and far as I know, the Metro in Byron Village Plaza is still branded that way.

[ssiguy]

Cherryhill Mall................wow, have I been out of circulation.

Westown was always the kind of mall that you never went to. It was never a destination and was very much a local mall for the apt and at the time had a branch of the London Library in it but I'm not sure if it's still there. I don't recall a Canadian Tire but it's possible.

City Centre Mall was always there but no one ever went to it. The London Mews was a pretty busy place as well. Outside of the movie theatres it didn't have anything to draw you there but it was extremely well located. People would do "the circuit" of Covenent Garden/Simpson/Dundas and then over to Wellington Square and Eaton's. the mews was a great go between kind of place especially in the rain or snow so it got a lot of foot traffic which is why many of the smaller stores there thrived.

Little trivia............Wellington square was Canada's second mall after Park Royal in West Vancouver and it was Canada's first downtown mall. Also the McDonald's at the London Mall was London's first and also one of the first in the nation. London was also the first city in Canada to get cable television. London was always a "test market" city as it was seen to represent "middle English Canada".

As for the other comment about times before Guy Lombardo........ya, it was hell getting from one end of the city to other. All traffic west of the downtown core had to either take Wharncliffe {which at the time wasn't even 4 lanes} or go thru Byron.

Some things however never change..........the big talk in the 70s and 60s in London roads was,........you guessed it, the Ring Road.

[MrSlippery519]

I heard a radio ad for Westmount today...really was confused as to what I was hearing saying they have a "wide selection of stores and underground parking"

At least they are trying I suppose.

[manny_santos]

Originally Posted by HillStreetBlues

Thanks!

By the way, I'm very much enjoying the varying descriptors for Big Box Hell.

London must be getting a lot more diverse than I remember it, as it boggles my mind that two Asian grocery stores can co-exist, let alone thrive, just up Wonderland from one another. They're a great asset, though, I love going to the ones near me.

I haven't experienced this conversion of A&P/Metros to Food Basics, and far as I know, the Metro in Byron Village Plaza is still branded that way.

I highly doubt Metro in Byron will become a Food Basics - there's a lot of money in Byron and nearby Oakridge.

[ssiguy]

It's often the small local malls that do well. Places that create a "niche" shopping experience are the ones that survive and thrive.

This is true of downtown London. I'm glad there have been no major department stores opening downtown and even if one wanted to I think the downtown association should say no. The Core simply cannot compete with the big box, free parking suburban stores and I'm glad the downtown has decided not to.

Downtown London really has created a niche for itself by rightly claiming that you can get the stuff there that you can't get anywhere else whether it be shopping, restaurants, entertainment, or even living. This is also how Richmond Row has prospered. They draw people from all over greater London because it is different from mall/big box 101. The size is far less relevant than the product you have to sell which is Wortley Village does so well.

[MolsonExport]

Northland is getting a renovation of sorts. Half-assed, it appears, but it is ongoing.

[ssiguy]

I always use to get Northland and Argyle mixed up, probably because I never went there.

Argyle is on Highbury north of Oxford isn't it? Where was Northland, on Oxford?

Back in the day Argyle was a relatively busy mall because it was the only major mall east of Richmond as this was before Masonville. As I recall Northland wasn't as big as it only had about 20 stores compared to Argyle's 45.