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What I find crazy is the albion mall will have more anchore stores with Canadian Tire and No frills than Sherway and Woodbine.

As I mentioned earlier, Woodbine has a problem because it has to compete with what's already across the street.
(What was there when the mall first opened? lol)
Now, is Canadian Tire going to open a clearance centre in the former Bay space? Or what...???

 

[Mr. Rexdale]

As I mentioned earlier, Woodbine has a problem because it has to compete with what's already across the street.
(What was there when the mall first opened? lol)
Now, is Canadian Tire going to open a clearance centre in the former Bay space? Or what...???

What was across the street when Woodbine first opened? This aerial photograph from 1985 can show us.

Woodbine is pictured on the left, The field on the right of Highway 27 would become the plaza where Fortinos now sits.
The trail was added into the early 80's. Before that, there was nothing but farmland.

Buildings wouldn't appear until another few years. This 1991 aerial shot of the same area shows some development.

 

[RGB_11]

What was across the street when Woodbine first opened? This aerial photograph from 1985 can show us.
Woodbine is pictured on the left, The field on the right of Highway 27 would become the plaza where Fortinos now sits.
The trail was added into the early 80's. Before that, there was nothing but farmland.
Buildings wouldn't appear until another few years. This 1991 aerial shot of the same area shows some development.

Thanks!
So, long story short, change (over time) is a big part of the reason why the Woodbine Centre is in a messy situation.
They didn't have to compete with stores across the street, but now they do!!

 

[Mr. Rexdale]

Woodbine was built with poor planning. The mall started off strong in 1985, but began falling short with the change
of demographic that reshaped Rexdale's landscape in the years to follow; thus, resulting in Cadillac Fairview
(the mall's original owner) eventually removing Woodbine from the corporation's portfolio and selling the mall
to other investors in the early 2000's.

While the strip plaza that emerged along Queen's Plate may have been a considerable factor in Woodbine's drop
in sales, I think an even bigger blow to Woodbine's appeal happened when Wal-Mart took over a portion of Rexdale
Plaza around 2004 - 2005.

By the late 2000's, Woodbine was already a shadow of it's former self. Name brand stores continued to disappear
overnight, but it wasn't until Chris Hinn's purchase of the Woodbine where the deteoration of the mall began to
become readily apparent to the general public.

Target pulling out of Canada, Music World going out of business in 2007, the pandemic killing off sales, and longtime
store owners refusing to pay the major increases in rent dug an even deeper grave for an already dead mall to wallow in.

 

[RGB_11]

Woodbine was built with poor planning. The mall started off strong in 1985, but began falling short with the change
of demographic that reshaped Rexdale's landscape in the years to follow; thus, resulting in Cadillac Fairview
(the mall's original owner) eventually removing Woodbine from the corporation's portfolio and selling the mall
to other investors in the early 2000's.

While the strip plaza that emerged along Queen's Plate may have been a considerable factor in Woodbine's drop
in sales, I think an even bigger blow to Woodbine's appeal happened when Wal-Mart took over a portion of Rexdale
Plaza around 2004 - 2005.

By the late 2000's, Woodbine was already a shadow of it's former self. Name brand stores continued to disappear
overnight, but it wasn't until Chris Hinn's purchase of the Woodbine where the deteoration of the mall began to
become readily apparent to the general public.

Target pulling out of Canada, Music World going out of business in 2007, the pandemic killing off sales, and longtime
store owners refusing to pay the major increases in rent dug an even deeper grave for an already dead mall to wallow in.

& now Hudson's Bay making an exit. Canadian Tire could try something, but it might be too little too late.
It will be interesting to see what will happen with Woodbine mall in the near future.
They just lost their best anchor, perhaps nailing the coffin shut...but I say that with an open mind to possibly go with more outdoor mall concept and condos to give excuse for maintaining the most possible (mall) traffic...

 

[guavadelic]

& now Hudson's Bay making an exit. Canadian Tire could try something, but it might be too little too late.
It will be interesting to see what will happen with Woodbine mall in the near future.
They just lost their best anchor, perhaps nailing the coffin shut...but I say that with an open mind to possibly go with more outdoor mall concept and condos to give excuse for maintaining the most possible (mall) traffic...

Kind of a miracle The Bay lasted there as long as it did. Visited that location about 5 years ago and one of the floors seemed completely empty.

 

[RGB_11]

Kind of a miracle The Bay lasted there as long as it did. Visited that location about 5 years ago and one of the floors seemed completely empty.

It's even more of a miracle that that the Woodbine centre Bay didn't become a clearance centre. They deserved it more than Eglinton square did.

 

[FW36]

It is still surprising how bad Woodbine Mall has gotten. Since the early 2000s, the crime rate has gone down and income has gone up in Rexdale. I am surprised that when interest rates were lower, the owners of the mall did not develop any type of housing on the vacant land. The biggest problem for the mall was the lack of innovation and effort to adapt to the competition. I think local competition from Walmart, Albion Centre, and the Winners Plaza did not help, but the opening of Vaughan Mills, expansion of the Bramalea City Centre in the mid-2000s and the Expansion of Sherway Gardens also hurt Woodbine Centre as those malls are not to far from Rexdale by car.

​

 

[RGB_11]

It is still surprising how bad Woodbine Mall has gotten. Since the early 2000s, the crime rate has gone down and income has gone up in Rexdale. I am surprised that when interest rates were lower, the owners of the mall did not develop any type of housing on the vacant land. The biggest problem for the mall was the lack of innovation and effort to adapt to the competition. I think local competition from Walmart, Albion Centre, and the Winners Plaza did not help, but the opening of Vaughan Mills, expansion of the Bramalea City Centre in the mid-2000s and the Expansion of Sherway Gardens also hurt Woodbine Centre as those malls are not to far from Rexdale by car.

​

This is why converting the mall to an outdoor mall with condos on part of the land might be the way to go. (while keeping the rides and some of the mall indoor)
This way, Woodbine Centre (or Shops @ Woodbine) would have guaranteed foot traffic, with people who live there, shopping there too.
I'm thinking perhaps very similar to what happened to the Don Mills mall, which is now Shops @ Don Mills, an outdoor mall, and no longer an indoor mall.
(some condos were also built on that land)

 

[PL1]

This is why converting the mall to an outdoor mall with condos on part of the land might be the way to go. (while keeping the rides and some of the mall indoor)
This way, Woodbine Centre (or Shops @ Woodbine) would have guaranteed foot traffic, with people who live there, shopping there too.
I'm thinking perhaps very similar to what happened to the Don Mills mall, which is now Shops @ Don Mills, an outdoor mall, and no longer an indoor mall.
(some condos were also built on that land)

Re condos: The mall lands would be restricted for height as it is right under the flight path for Pearson Runway 23

 

[Mr. Rexdale]

This photo was taken during the last month of Hudson Bay's operation at the Woodbine Centre. With the Zellers pop
up sign, it's sad to think history has repeated itself once again; another prominent Canadian anchor has closed up shop
on the premises.

Photo credit: Summer Vibes

For months, a longtime friend and I would meet up around this Hudson Bay location. Already being liquidated,
what shoppers the anchor did have were few and far between. The parking lot was also often barren; to the
point where my friend would sometimes park there after shifts just to get some alone time to himself.

Will Canadian Tire take over the Hudson Bay at Woodbine? Probably not. Hudson Bay doesn't seem to have enough
store size, and the last smaller Canadian Tire that I can think of was the older spot on Kipling and Rexdale. A location
which closed down not too long ago as part of a store merger that relocated nearby to Islington and 401.

I just hope Hudson Bay doesn't become another liquidation outlet with a knockoff name like (puts on reading glasses):

* Samson's Way.
* Hud & son's tray

or...

* Have-A-Nice Day

 

[RGB_11]

At this point, the mall itself just might have t be torn down and relaunched, modeling after shops @ Don Mills.
It's too bad building condos (to go with it) might not be an option though due to the airport potential restrictions.

 

[Mr. Rexdale]

To skirt around designated flight path restrictions: the Woodbine's property could iinstall condos with less stories, but more buildings
on the land spread out. Stores could occupy the ground floor of each building, as we discussed here.

I believe such was one of the proposed ideas for redesigning the Woodbine; 3 condos standing side by side.

 

[swigg]

Looks like woodbine is no longer on the colliers site, I get a 404. Anyone hear anything about a sale?

 

[RGB_11]

Looks like woodbine is no longer on the colliers site, I get a 404. Anyone hear anything about a sale?

Just the Court ordered sale, back in March: https://greenstreetnews.com/article/bids-of-250m-sought-for-distressed-toronto-mall/