The Albion Centre

[J-M-Z]

Does anyone have any pictures of the Dollarama inside the albion mall

Not yet. Google images isn't providing any photos either. I may do a return trip soon to the area for followup photos.

Admittedly, I was under the presumption that the Albion mall location was going to replace the nearby Dollarama at 1620 Albion Rd.

 

[J-M-Z]

Dollarama is now open at Albion mall.

This Dollarama has reeplaced two stores: Your Dollar Store with More (former Silver Dollar) & Ardene.

 

[kade1064]

Dollarama is now open at Albion mall.

View attachment 429875

This Dollarama has reeplaced two stores: Your Dollar Store with More (former Silver Dollar) & Ardene.

This dollarama is gonna be HUGE...

 

[J-M-Z]

This dollarama is gonna be HUGE...

For the last 30+ years, there has been nothing but dollar stores in this section of the Albion Mall. I'm hard pressed to think of anything else
that could have taken Dollarama's place.

 

[J-M-Z]

An original flyer for Loblaws Grand Opening in The Albion Mall circa 1964.

Originally, Loblaws served as one of Albion Mall's primary anchors. Following the mall's enclosure in 1970, Loblaws would
move to the opposite end of Albion; while K-Mart would preside over Loblaw's original location facing Kipling Ave.

Eventually, Loblaws was replaced with Fortinos (and presently No Frills), while K-Mart vacated Albion Mall around 1998.
The popular discount chain was replaced with Canadian Tire shortly thereafter. Special thanks to Jon Jones for repatriating
this vintage find from the fine folks over at Weston Historical Society.

As for the Rexdale timeline, the era also marked:
- Albion Cinemas was still known as Albion Odeon.
- The Albion Pharmacy was originally called Hopedale Drugs.
- Big Boy Restaurant would open five years later in a handful of burger joints across Toronto Ontario.
- The Albion Library was still part of the Albion Mall, and wouldn't move across Albion Rd. for another eight or so years.

 

[J-M-Z]

.Albion Cinemas is currently undergoing exterior renovations.

This modernized look marks the first major update to the longstanding Albion Mall anchor since the movie
previews (to the left of this photo) were replaced with additional stores in the late 90's - early 2000's.

To answer the question many of us older folks may be asking: Albion Cinemas will continue to play Bollywood movies exclusively.

 

[thivagar05]

Here are some of the latest pictures from inside the Albion Cinema. They most now run Tamil, Bollywood and even some African movies.

 

[kade1064]

looks good and spacous

 

[J-M-Z]

Maybe I'm old fashioned, but I always loved the classic cinema look. Red curtains, subtle lighting. Adds to the charm of seeing movies on the big screen.
At the same time, I can't help but appreciate Albion Cinema's sleek, new look.

Still, the inner kid in me longs for the days of seeing Hollywood movies at Albion Cinemas again. Granted, times have changed (as have the area's
taste in movies over the years). Yet, Albion's meagre two screens (the second of which was installed over 50 years ago) wouldn't be able to compete
with other more-established cinemas these days.

 

[J-M-Z]

Thanks to Chuck Woodill over at the Vintage Rexdale facebook group for providing scans of this Albion Mall Restaurant menu from 1964!

 

[JasonParis]

I once got mislaid in Rexdale.

 

[DSC]

I once got mislaid in Rexdale.

Getting laid is definitely more fun! :->

 

[Tim MacDonald]

Any new happenings, renovations, or memories you'd like to share of The Albion Centre (also known as "Shoppers World Albion")?

I remember frequenting Albion in the early '90's. Back when Albion Cinemas was still playing Hollywood movies (before converting to a Bollywood theater in the mid 90's), the K-Mart (which is now a Canadian Tire), the No-Frills that stepped in for Fortinos and a time before the middle of the mall was opened up to become the Food Court we now know today.

Other random memories include Friar Tuck's, the Silver Dollar store (or was it Family Dollar) now renamed "Your Dollar Store with More", the fast food kiosk that was parked out front that now serves Bubble Tea, Rogers (back when people actually rented movies) and the ever-changing location of The Source (formerly RadioShack).

Yet, despite it's age, location and compact size, I found Albion to be more lively than visiting the decay that is the Woodbine Centre these days.

Bonus points for sharing retro photos of Albion.

I remember losing my toque in the Kmart when I was probably seven or eight. What a random pull out of the memory bank! The funny thing is that I got it back a few days later. It was in the same spot!

I have not been to that plaza since my family moved out of the area in the late 70s.

 

[JasonParis]

The plaza essentially doesn't exist any longer, except the old Towers. The place is now a power centre of sorts.