Woodbine Centre

[J-M-Z]

The year is 1985.
On a bright and sunny afternoon, a crowd of eager Torontonians gather for the grand opening of Etobicoke's newest shopping mall.

Amidst the scores of neon colours, fanny packs, visor shades, aquanet and scores of bubblegum being chewed through the crowd, the
CEO of Cadillac Fairview steps up to the podium. In his hand, a pair of scissors to cut the rope and usher in a new era of shopping
excellence on Toronto's west end.

Yet, all is not well on this occasion. Within the crowd emerges a shadowy figure. His face out of place, and out of time. A stoic,
taciturn man, only identifiable by a pin visible on his chest pocket. The pin reads 'Urban Toronto'.

Just seconds before the CEO cuts the ribbon to conclude the ceremony, the mysterious visitors takes the stage; gesturing the CEO
to the side for a few hushed words. During their murmurs, the CEO steps back in quiet disbelief. The man solemnly nods his head
and pulls out a futuristic contraption now known by modern man as a 'smartphone'. On this terrestrial device, the strange visitor
displays graphics on a button-less screen depicting futuristic shots of the Woodbine Centre from a far off distant timeline. The
Year 2017.

The CEO's eyes widen. His mouth left aghast. Beads of sweat encroach his brow, and the sound of clanging echoes across the
stage. The scissors drop from the CEO's hand in pindrop silence. The ribbon still uncut as the audience looks on in a puzzled
state.

"I....I have to go now......"

To this day, no one knows where the man with the Urban Toronto shirt came from. Nor do the locals know was said to the CEO of
Cadillac Fairview. As for the Woodbine itself? The ribbon was never cut, and the mystery man was never seen again.

 

[Towered]

I first went to Woodbine shortly after opening in 1985. At that time it set the standard for what a "cool" mall should be - it had everything you could possibly want under one roof. Amazing to see how it managed to go down the shitter from that initial lofty perch.

 

[SubHuman]

If no one is interested in buying the property and the remaining stores leave, I wonder if Honeydale Mall provides a smaller example of the possible future of Woodbine Centre. Honeydale Mall has been abandoned and fenced off for almost 11 years now.
https://urbantoronto.ca/forum/threads/toronto-honeydale-mall-redevelopment-m-s-fieldgate.695/page-4
Its parking lot has recently become full of vehicles that I assume are being temporarily stored there. Woodbine's parking lot could hold a lot more vehicles than Honeydale, although it would also require an enormous amount of fencing to go all the way around the outside of it.

 

[J-M-Z]

Years ago, my father and I were contracted to install fencing around a piece of land located in the Bloor West Village. The property, which was owned by a wealthy investor,
was sitting on the land for years waiting for her selling price to be met.

In 2011, the owner was hoping to receive $11 million for her property. Year after year, my father and I were asked to do general upkeep of the fencing. No developer
wanted to meet her offer, and so the land remained sealed off along the Bloor West Village. For those that frequented the area, may remember the green boarded
off property veering towards Bloor and High Park.

I would assume Honeydale Mall is in the same predicament. Waiting for the right offer to set the wheels in motion.

 

[mark.a.m]

I went to Woodbine Mall today.
The “For Sale” signs are still up along Rexdale Blvd and Highway 27. I don’t think the mall sold.
I still think Chris Hinn is leading stores in the mall as his shops with junk are still operating…

 

[J-M-Z]

The receivership would gain control over Hinn's junk stores along with the rest of the Woodbine one would presume.

Given the mall's sordid history and legal kerfuffles over the last few years, I can't think of any name brand store wanting to set up shop in the
Woodbine at the moment. Talk about walking on thin ice.

Maybe an 'under new management' sign (followed with "no...we REALLY mean it" in brackets) could help.

 

[RGB_11]

The receivership would gain control over Hinn's junk stores along with the rest of the Woodbine one would presume.

Given the mall's sordid history and legal kerfuffles over the last few years, I can't think of any name brand store wanting to set up shop in the
Woodbine at the moment. Talk about walking on thin ice.

Maybe an 'under new management' sign (followed with "no...we REALLY mean it" in brackets) could help.

If the mall could go into the hands of any company that already owns malls, the history of those malls would show what to expect...

 

[J-M-Z]

So, the sign overlooking the old Sears has two unpleasant secret message when viewed at night.

Some of us are All Americans.
Others all business-minded.
And then some of us are all....

No idea what the aggravated 'fu' directly underneath is all about.

 

[RGB_11]

So, the sign overlooking the old Sears has two unpleasant secret message when viewed at night.

Some of us are All Americans.
Others all business-minded.
And then some of us are all....

View attachment 597922

No idea what the aggravated 'fu' directly underneath is all about.

WOW! I'm glad I'm not a Nishing!

 

[flonicky]

I worked here briefly during one of the more wayward periods of my wayward youth. This was my first visit in thirty years.

But I did see it recently on What We Do in the Shadows.

It was also a location in that bad move, The Freshman.

Generally, it's a pretty neat structure and decent layout.

Some of the interior choices are suspect. The trees are very fake.

Fake and maybe fragile?

It's less dead than I expected, but there are clusters of empty stores.

There is a very desperate amount of dinosaurs in the Fantasy Fair.

If there's an empty spot, they've shoved in a dinosaur.

It's a weird feeling seeing a place at its prime and then seeing it again as it fades away.

 

[J-M-Z]

The stegosaurus in the Fantasy Fair has seen better days.

Peeled face, exposed lining, and what appears to be a drink cup now make up this dilapidated dino's dastardly-disheveled disposition.

 

[mark.a.m]

The receivership would gain control over Hinn's junk stores along with the rest of the Woodbine one would presume.

Given the mall's sordid history and legal kerfuffles over the last few years, I can't think of any name brand store wanting to set up shop in the
Woodbine at the moment. Talk about walking on thin ice.

Maybe an 'under new management' sign (followed with "no...we REALLY mean it" in brackets) could help.

Not necessarily. He may have had it under another corporation. The stores receipt said “QVC store”

 

[J-M-Z]

Just the other day, I was reminiscing with a friend about the Woodbine Centre. The year was 2006, and I was a senior student at North Albion Collegiate Institute
(NACI for short). As cheapskates, a friend and I shared a locker, which never presented itself as an issue. That was until I visited the Woodbine Centre one night....

Back in 2007, the Woodbine was still a (somewhat) happening place.

Zellers resided on the ground floor and upper levels.
Target had yet to take over.
Sportchek was a year away from it's closing down sale.
Music World and Sunrise Records were on their last legs
and Chris Hinn was three years away from buying the Woodbine Centre in 2010.

Next to Music World on the lower level was a clothing store that I frequented called Rock Co. As the name implied, the store sold various rock and metal t-shirts.
You could also pick up daggers, rolling paper and bong supplies there too (because why not). Even as a kid, I felt the store stuck out like a sore thumb in Rexdale.

During the few years that Rock Co. was in operation, the owner (Jerry) and his staff took a liking to me and my brother. They were so kind once that they threw in
a free issue of High Times magazine! As an underage teen who never smoked a joint (let alone a cigarette) before during Canada's pre-legalization period, I felt
like a cool kid. So cool that I brought the magazine to school with me the following day.

Just before shuffling off to homeroom, I tucked the issue of High Times into our shared locker and headed off to class. There was one small problem, however.
I had forgotten that particular day was locker inspection day. My friend flew into a panic, ran to his locker before the inspection to destroy the magazine, and
neither of us shared a locker ever again.

Thanks, Woodbine!

 

[J-M-Z]

Fantasy Fair news: the discarded drink cup and peeled rubber from the affected dinosaur prop have been removed.

That is all.

 

[mark.a.m]

Fantasy Fair news: the discarded drink cup and peeled rubber from the affected dinosaur prop have been removed.

That is all.

The whole dinosaur was removed? If so, great!