The Station Mall, is a shopping mall located in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada. With 97 stores and 555,000 square feet (51,600 m2) of retail space, it is the second largest shopping mall in Northern Ontario, trailing just behind the New Sudbury Centre in Greater Sudbury in area.[1] Built in 1973, the mall has since undergone two major expansions. Its major tenants include 52,000 square feet (4,800 m2) Galaxy Cinemas movie theatre complex. The mall is located on the waterfront in downtown Sault Ste. Marie, and is roughly five minutes away from the Sault Ste. Marie International Bridge to the United States. The Sault Ste. Marie railway station is located in the mall's parking lot.
 | |
| Coordinates | 46°30′43″N 84°20′20″W / 46.512°N 84.339°W |
|---|---|
| Address | 293 Bay Street Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario P6A 1X3 |
| Opening date | October 31, 1973 |
| Developer | Algoma Central Railway |
| Management | CBRE |
| Owner | SM International Holdings Ltd. |
| No. of stores and services | 97 |
| No. of anchor tenants | 4 |
| Total retail floor area | 555,000 square feet (51,600 m2) |
| Parking | +2,000 |
| Website | thestationmall |
History
editPhase I (1973)
editStation Mall opened on October 31, 1973 with 284,000 square feet of retail space and 45 tenants, including a two-story Sears department store and Dominion Food Stores as its anchors. Other retailers when the mall opened in 1973 included Lakeshore Drug Mart, People's Jewelers, Lighting Unlimited, Davis II men's wear, Big Steel, Dalmys, Fairweather, Penningtons, Laura Secord Candies, Coles - The Book People, Melody Lane Record Shop, The Leather Touch, Kinney Shoes, Dolomity Shoes, Tip Top Stores, Happy Hour Card 'n Party Shop, and the Loon's Nest. The 400-seat Station Cinema opened with the mall, as did J.B.'s Big Boy Family Restaurant. The original "Pufferbelly" food court included space for a delicatessen and 10 snack bars.[2] A departure from downtown retailers at the time, the mall advertised free parking for 1,800 cars and a climate-controlled shopping experience.[3]
The original construction was part of a $30 million development of the Algoma Central Railway's Bay Street property, which also included the construction of a 200-room hotel near the mall, originally occupied by Holiday Inn.[4]
The original building was designed by James A. Murray, Architects and built by Eastern Construction Co. Ltd.[5]
The mall underwent two expansions in 16 years, in 1981 and 1989, adding more than 200,000 square feet of additional retail space.[6]
Phase II (1981)
editBefore it had even opened, plans were already underway for a 150,000 square feet expansion to add another department store, 20 additional retail stores, a second cinema, a third large restaurant as well as parking for 200 additional cars.[7]
Phase III (1989)
editThe mall's Phase III expansion cost $18 million to build and added Zellers as a second anchor store. It continued the mall's westward growth, increasing its size by 100,000 square feet, making it the largest mall in Northern Ontario at the time.[8]
Opening in the fall of 1989, the new phase brought the total number of stores, shops and restaurants to 115. Among the new or relocated stores in Phase III were Lady's a Champ/Frat House; Sam the Record Man; Footlocker; Rafters; CAA Travel; Pantorama; Cotton Ginny, Saan for Kids, and Beef n' Brand Restaurant.[9]
2000 renovation
editIn 2000, the 52,000-square-foot Galaxy Entertainment Complex was opened on the waterfront side of the mall. The Complex includes a 12-screen, 2,400 seat movie theatre.[10] The mall underwent a major renovation project, adding large format stores and revamping the interior. 2011 saw a number of smaller stores combined for a new Sport Chek location. The small former Zellers location reopened in 2012 as a smaller Walmart Supercentre. On November 25, 2013, Galaxy Cinemas downsized from 12 screens to 7 screens in order to make room for H&M.[11] In October 2017, Sears Canada permanently closed their Station Mall store, leaving Coles, Lakeshore Drug Mart, Laura Secord and the Vacation Station as the only remaining original tenants of the mall. In May 2019, Walmart announced that its store in the mall would close in June of that year. This left the mall without any major anchor stores.
2024 renovation
editSeven years after announcing plans to sell off all of its commercial real estate holdings, in July 2022 Algoma Central Corporation announced a deal to sell the mall to SM International Holdings Ltd., a Markham-based company for $30 million, consisting of $12 million in cash and the remainder as debt.[12] In August 2023, a consulting firm working with the mall's owners announced a $60 million redevelopment plan, consisting of new retail stores, a 50,000 square foot "eatertainment complex" and a casual dining sports bar. This renovation was expected to be completed early in 2024.[13]
Anchor tenants
edit- Galaxy Cinema (32,000 sq ft)
- Sport Chek (22,000 sq ft)
- H&M (18,000 sq ft)
- Dollarama (11,000 sq ft)
References
edit- ^ "Station Mall". Algoma Central Corporation. Archived from the original on November 6, 2002.
- ^ The Sault Star (October 29, 1973). "40 new stores ready to serve".
- ^ The Sault Star (October 30, 1973). "Station Mall Grand Opening Sale [advertising supplement]".
- ^ The Sault Star (October 29, 1973). "Mall combines shopping comfort with downtown convenience".
- ^ The Sault Star (October 31, 1973). "ACR adds Station Mall to its fleet of ships".
- ^ "Station Mall ready for new tenant and more is on the way". Sault Star. 2012. Archived from the original on March 25, 2012.
- ^ The Sault Star (October 29, 1973). "40 new stores ready to serve".
- ^ "Remember This? Station Mall". SooToday. Village Media. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
- ^ "[Advertisement] "It's a Whole New Look"". Sault Star. August 15, 1989.
- ^ "Algonet.com". Archived from the original on November 6, 2002.
- ^ "H&M coming, Galaxy cuts screens". Sault Star. November 22, 2013. Archived from the original on December 8, 2013.
- ^ "EXCLUSIVE: Station Mall has been sold for $30-million." SooToday.com. 4 July 2022. https://www.sootoday.com/local-news/exclusive-station-mall-has-been-sold-for-30-million-5546046
- ^ StratonHunter Group. "$60 million redevelopment plan ushers in a new era of shopping excellence at Station Mall." Cision. 2 August 2023. https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/-60-million-redevelopment-plan-ushers-in-a-new-era-of-shopping-excellence-at-station-mall-866995367.html