Halifax during WWII

[Nilan8888]

You forgot the part about where the Nazis invaded West End Mall, thus making this relevant to WWII.

[spaustin]

Originally Posted by hfx_chris

And finally in 1999 Sears Canada purchased Eatons, and the Sears store in West End Mall moved across the street to the former Eatons location in HSC. And of course shortly afterward, West End Mall saw the major renovations which have turned it into what we see today, and if I'm not mistaken, the Sobeys moved across the street from HSC, correct? I assume it was located at the Bayers Road side of the mall, where that large sporting goods store is today.
So. How's that sound?

One final thing I request confirmation on, and I'll stop beating this dead horse. I assume the Sears store was a multi-level building, as all department stores are - were the ground floor doors located where the Wal-Mart entrance is today?

If memory serves, you're correct and the Sobeys moved across the street from HSC. It use to be where that second entrance and parkade is in the middle of Bayers where the land dips down. The Sobeys was in where the giant outdoors store is now (Coast Mountain?) and parcel pick up was in underneath out of the elements. I could be wrong, but I thought Walmart was built new and the Sears multi-level backed out onto the back of the West End Mall? (vague memory from 1st year university) I say that because I remember them building the new Sobeys and WalMart and thinking it was really dumb that they didn't build an indoor connection to the Bay and the rest of the West End Mall.

[terrynorthend]

Originally Posted by spaustin

If memory serves, you're correct and the Sobeys moved across the street from HSC. It use to be where that second entrance and parkade is in the middle of Bayers where the land dips down. The Sobeys was in where the giant outdoors store is now (Coast Mountain?) and parcel pick up was in underneath out of the elements. I could be wrong, but I thought Walmart was built new and the Sears multi-level backed out onto the back of the West End Mall? (vague memory from 1st year university) I say that because I remember them building the new Sobeys and WalMart and thinking it was really dumb that they didn't build an indoor connection to the Bay and the rest of the West End Mall.

Yes. The Walmart and Sobeys (basically one on top of the other) is new build. Sears was quite long, the store front pictured in the shot with bus 902. Inside Sears there was an entrance to the WEM, with about 20-30 stores down a straight hallway. The Bay anchored the far end. (And still does) The little Mall area with the lottery booth by Access NS was there then, it opened into a little food court just before The Bay. The Bay was two floors, Sears was basically one big floorplate, with a smaller bargain basement. The elevator/ escalator to the bargain basement was down in the back corner of Sears, beyond the Mall entrance. As I said before, it was a two tiered escalator, which had a short landing (maybe 50 feet long) inbetween with a couple of Sears service centres along either side. (travel agent, photo studio, hair salon) The bottom escalator/and stairs emptied into the bargain basement, which had street access in behind the West End Mall. Those doors are still there, in fact the bargain basement is still there, but with no internal access. The mumford bus terminal was right there in front of the doors to Sears. Eatons was across in HSC. Sears moved over there after Eatons went bankrupt, and closed up. I think it sat vacant for a bit inbetween though.

I'm a little hazy on when the Bay came about. I remember they didn't have stores around here when I was a kid, and there was a lot of excitement about them coming east. I believe it was built on that end of the Mall with the multi story parking garage below it in the early 80's. Prior to that the old Simpsons-Sears building seen in the photos posted above in this thread occupied that spot. It was probably attached to the mall at one point, and I believe it housed the Atlantic catalogue operations at one time. Its a shame its gone, I always loved the look of the building even as a kid. It would have made a fantastic loft conversion space if it had survived until now.

[worldlyhaligonian]

I think there is something like "the bargin basement" still in operation there, albeit not the crazy spot I remember while growing up in the west end... with a rediculous amount of old inventory being sold as a random assortment for a good price.

[hfx_chris]

Correct worldly, the Sears Clearance Centre stands in the same location that the old Sears bargain basement used to occupy.

Terry, you might want to double check part of that. The old Simpsons building was at the rear facing the train tracks, not where The Bay is today - and the Simpsons-Sears building was on the side facing Mumford where the Sobeys/Winners is today.

Maybe we should branch off into a dedicated West End Mall, or shopping centre thread

[cormiermax]

I second that motion