Toronto Eaton Centre

[shortbranch]

The North Face left of Adidas is closed

 

[Richard White]

View attachment 709968

The North Face left of Adidas is closed

I wonder if they ever fixed the fountain to shoot back up to the 3rd floor again.

 

[Towered]

I wonder if they ever fixed the fountain to shoot back up to the 3rd floor again.

I was just wondering that too. I wish it would be like it was in the 80's, when the spray would nearly hit the glass ceiling...

Naturally they dumbed it down in the 90's to not spray that high. Can't have fun anymore.

 

[Richard White]

I was just wondering that too. I wish it would be like it was in the 80's, when the spray would nearly hit the glass ceiling...

Naturally they dumbed it down in the 90's to not spray that high. Can't have fun anymore.

I hate to say it but maintainence costs probably played a role.

I used to have a fountain at one of my previous Condo properties and their fountain was shut down to save on costs. It looks nice but when you see how much it costs to operate, it is the first thing to get cut.

 

[shortbranch]

View attachment 709968

The North Face left of Adidas is closed

Reopening in spring

 

[Towered]

I hate to say it but maintainence costs probably played a role.

I used to have a fountain at one of my previous Condo properties and their fountain was shut down to save on costs. It looks nice but when you see how much it costs to operate, it is the first thing to get cut.

CF can easily afford it.

 

[Richard White]

CF can easily afford it.

Agreed but they are removing alot of water features in their malls. The Fountain at Fairview, the River at Markville are both gone after renovations.

 

[stevensontransit]

This is what the former Hudson’s bay flagship space look like along with the bridge to Toronto eaton centre I filmed as of today:

 

[gabe]

I was just wondering that too. I wish it would be like it was in the 80's, when the spray would nearly hit the glass ceiling...

Naturally they dumbed it down in the 90's to not spray that high. Can't have fun anymore.

I do remember that when i was little. The fountain was our family's meeting spot. Before cell phones, my mom and older sisters would shop and we would just meet them at the fountain at a cretin time.

I'm surprised CF has kept the fountain after all these years, and not replaced it with something like a Rogers kiosk or something just as crappy.

 

[Natika33]

I do remember that when i was little. The fountain was our family's meeting spot. Before cell phones, my mom and older sisters would shop and we would just meet them at the fountain at a cretin time.

I'm surprised CF has kept the fountain after all these years, and not replaced it with something like a Rogers kiosk or something just as crappy.

Don't give them ideas!

 

[TossYourJacket]

View attachment 710169

Reopening in spring

Given the original store was apparently a pop-up, I'm guessing it did well enough that this is the transition to a permanent store.

 

[TossYourJacket]

I noticed on Friday that 2 Queen West is finally going to be used for something! It's going to be a pop-up for the Olympics, sponsored by McCain (yes, the fries company).

 

[soundmuseum]

There's now a new exit from the mall to Yonge Street, on the south side of the mall beside Honey, where part of RW & Co used to be:

 

[nightstreak]

Bringing the retail discussion into the Retail forum. This is regarding the corner units at street level Yonge and Queen.

So the reason I'm a little skeptical is the new store still says "Pop-Up" on the windows. It also was a very low effort reno. No changes inside, the outside is clearly blue film over the old Banana Republic doorways. Wondering if it might be they put up a moved sign for now because it's taking time to rearrange the walls, etc to create the new space (since it was previously divided into two units since it's half of their old space and part of the AX store) and then build the new store, so the former BR location will be there longer than a usual temporary store, more like a semi-permanent one, but they will move back to the south end of the mall eventually. Also the fact they expanded the "moved" signage to include space that was not part of the old store, and it's been up for months (longer than CF usually allows) makes me wonder. I was just thinking about this because I was walking through today on my commute and the signage at both locations feels weird for a store that moved months ago.

Who knows.

There's something to that. The fact that they left the RW&Co on the hoarding, seems to imply that it'll be back at some point. But I got a peek inside and it's not yet being built as a store (or a restaurant) and instead looks to be being prepared as an empty shell available for lease. So if RW&Co is supposed to return, they're in no hurry. At the same time, my industry contact seems to think that the corner appears destined for hospitality. Is CF going to lease 2 Queen West for a restaurant with no connection to the mall?

As Cheesecake Factory approaches its first decade in Canada, with their sustained success at their only location at Yorkdale (though they've started exploring alternative models with a Cheesecake Factory Café in Brampton) and an announcement late last year that they plan to open 26 new restaurants globally in 2026, the industry sees Eaton Centre as the most likely downtown location. I could also see them opening inside the former Hudson's Bay's second floor connected by the bridge but having a street presence on Queen and Yonge with mall access feels like the most likely to me. The location fits.