Toronto Eaton Centre

[gabe]

Tree looks nice but the rest of the mall is pretty sterile looking. I guess Christmas decorations aren't in the budget anymore.

When i was a kid my family made a special trip every Christmas to go into the city to just see the Eaton Centre's Christmas displays, they were extraordinary.

Now a days the holiday decorations are minimal and kids get to Skype with Santa. lol I think this year they have Santa outside the mall, but you have to pay to visit him.

 

[Towered]

Yup, it was cooler in the 80's. They put more effort into not just being a generic mall like every other one. The greenery, the fountain sprayed higher, there were more restaurants, greater variety of retail, the nice blue tiles at the mid-block TTC entrance weren't painted off-white, less corporate chains, more Christmas decorations. The vibe was better than today. Now it's just an overcrowded zoo with over-priced clothes stores. It's an exhausting, boring chore.

 

[bcx]

So much nostalgia about the EC of the 80s or 90s. Unfortunately for you guys the market forces all malls and retailers to update or die. Let's just be glad that Toronto's downtown is bustling and that the EC is still a thriving retail destination. There are still malls that haven't updated since the 90s in the outskirts of the city for those of you that miss that.

 

[ShonTron]

Tree looks nice but the rest of the mall is pretty sterile looking. I guess Christmas decorations aren't in the budget anymore.

When i was a kid my family made a special trip every Christmas to go into the city to just see the Eaton Centre's Christmas displays, they were extraordinary.

Now a days the holiday decorations are minimal and kids get to Skype with Santa. lol I think this year they have Santa outside the mall, but you have to pay to visit him.

Santa just got in the way of commercial opportunities, like that obnoxious Shoppers Drug Mart Beauty Boutique, which had speakers blasting Drake songs all day Saturday, that made nearly impossible to get around the 3rd floor near Indigo.

 

[Towered]

So much nostalgia about the EC of the 80s or 90s. Unfortunately for you guys the market forces all malls and retailers to update or die. Let's just be glad that Toronto's downtown is bustling and that the EC is still a thriving retail destination. There are still malls that haven't updated since the 90s in the outskirts of the city for those of you that miss that.

Way to miss the point. Market forces inspire changes in retailers and products, but have nothing to do with the dumbing down of design and removal of standout features, which by the way has also defaced malls like Sherway and Yorkdale. To compare the EC with far-flung second tier malls is just ignorant.

 

[Towered]

Santa just got in the way of commercial opportunities, like that obnoxious Shoppers Drug Mart Beauty Boutique, which had speakers blasting Drake songs all day Saturday, that made nearly impossible to get around the 3rd floor near Indigo.

Yup, they used to have that massive 3 or 4 storey red Santa's castle at the north end of the EC for many years. It was amazing. Now they don't even bother.

 

[Skeezix]

I admit that I have not been to the mall this season yet, but last year I found the decorations to be great - the large reindeer and the massive tree. Interesting, unusual, visually gripping.

I don't miss Santa's castle at all. There were several versions of that castle in the 1990s/2000s, and I don't think any of them were a great loss when they disappeared.

I do very much agree with the general sentiment here that CF has stripped the mall of many of its unique features, completely dumbing it down, and the newer mall expansions feature some terrible and dull design. I don't think any of it will serve CF well in the long run.

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

I do very much agree with the general sentiment here that CF has stripped the mall of many of its unique features, completely dumbing it down, and the newer mall expansions feature some terrible and dull design. I don't think any of it will serve CF well in the long run.

Wait till the Well opens.

Santa just got in the way of commercial opportunities, like that obnoxious Shoppers Drug Mart Beauty Boutique, which had speakers blasting Drake songs all day Saturday, that made nearly impossible to get around the 3rd floor near Indigo.

So, we have a new winner after the perennial favourite Lush.

AoD

 

[bcx]

Way to miss the point. Market forces inspire changes in retailers and products, but have nothing to do with the dumbing down of design and removal of standout features, which by the way has also defaced malls like Sherway and Yorkdale. To compare the EC with far-flung second tier malls is just ignorant.

I would argue that the new bridge between Saks and the rest of the EC is a standout feature of great design and the giant reindeer Christmas decorations when they first appeared were quite eye-catching. Of course everyone would like more of these design features but that's different than asking for more greenery again or less corporate stores (a major mall in downtown Toronto is not going to be affordable for mom and pop shops).

 

[soundmuseum]

Hickory Farms' temporary store has closed. A new location of Refuel Juicery will replace it in the former Big It Up space. Sweet Jesus is still under construction.

Samsung's flagship store has now opened across from UNIQLO.

 

[deerparker]

Levi's is opening (June 2018) in the former Express/Calendar Club location. Call It Spring (lower level by the fountain) is closed for renovations.

 

[GKW]

Sweet Jesus is now open and it looks like Yogen Fruz is moving just around to the other side a couple stores down
Didn't expect Levis to be making a comeback in the mall..

 

[deerparker]

Bench is gone.

 

[JasonParis]

Bench stuff was always better (and cheaper) at Hudson's Bay than their own store for some odd reason.

 

[Skeezix]

Bench stuff was always better (and cheaper) at Hudson's Bay than their own store for some odd reason.

Bench stores in Canada weren't really Bench stores. They were owned and operated by a licensee, Freemark Apparel Brands Inc., which also operated other banners in Canada (including Scotch & Soda and Esprit). Freemark went bankrupt last year, IIRC - I can't remember if it was to close some or all of its outlets.

So, Hudson's Bay and Freemark were both essentially third parties selling Bench products, and Hudson's Bay seems to have done a better job at it.