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Woodbine Centre

On a related note, it's interesting to compare the fates of Woodbine and Promenade, the latter of which I had the opportunity to visit yesterday. While I wouldn't exactly describe the Promenade as "thriving", at least there's still some degree of vitality to the place, not to mention the exciting renovation project about to break ground. Both malls, I believe, were constructed around the same era (mid to late 1980s), but at the end of the day it was location, location, location that mattered the most. Woodbine sits in an awkward, peripheral spot within the GTA, whereas the Promenade has enjoyed the benefit of being more "central" geographically and demographically.

Without trying to wander too far off-topic, here are a few photos.

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The (physically distanced) food court was quite steady for a Sunday afternoon.

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One of the most stunning examples of mall architecture in the GTA, in my opinion.

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Quiet, but not exactly dead. There was a modest, yet decent selection of big-name retailers that today's Woodbine can only dream about.

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Of course, no photo essay of the Promenade would be complete without a shot of the first-ever Yogen Fruz.

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And this is what developers consider "in need of revitalization". Don't get me wrong, the Promenade too is showing its age in many aspects but its current state is nonetheless miles ahead of the absolute travesty that the Woodbine has become.
 
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full movie if you want to check out the Woodbine scenes which start at the 39:20 mark , starts off outside a gas station on the corner of Queens Plate drive & Rexdale blvd
 
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Woodbine Mall's Fantasy Fair has randomly been put up for sale​


From link.

If you've ever wanted to own an entire children's amusement park — especially one that will hurl you into nostalgic reverie if you grew up in Toronto — then now's your chance, because the Fantasy Fair from Woodbine Mall has been listed for immediate sale.

The 60,000 square foot attraction filled with rides, games and consessions is being sold by private negotiation in its entirety, begging the question of what will happen to it if a suitable purchaser is not found.

The 12 major rides include a full carousel with 56 horses and chariots, a train ride, three-level playground, a rock climbing wall, bumper cars, a mini ferris wheel and spinning cups.
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As the largest indoor park of its kind, the Fantasy Fair has lived at Rexdale Blvd and Highway 27 for a whopping 37 years, though the shopping centre that it is a part of has been struggling for the last few.

Though it has undergone some recent upgrades, the gradual loss of many of the bigger and more popular brands at Woodbine Mall and an uptick in vacant storefronts have made it less appealing than other nearby facilities like Sherway Gardens and Yorkdale, both of which are less than 20 minutes away by car.
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Bulk Barn, Shoppers Drug Mart, The Body Shop, and a number of the mall's other mainstays have shuttered in recent years, which some online are crediting to a new owner who took over Woodbine in 2015. There was also due to be a new Italian restaurant debuting there in 2019, though it never ended up opening its doors.

"I went there a couple days ago and it made me so sad to see what this mall became. There’s nothing good left there. There’s only a few legist stores left and I doubt they’ll still be here in a couple years," one visitor said of the mall on Reddit on Friday.
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Along with the Fantasy Fair, which is up for sale for an undisclosed price via Benaco Sales, the mall's eight-screen movie theatre and entire food court — including more than 20 restaurant, bars and fast-food eateries — are listed as "coming soon" on the same website.

"Major entertainment and hospitality event of the year by online auction," the listing reads.

Though mall management did not respond to blogTO to comment, it's clear that the fate of the centre may very well be up in the air at this point.
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the owner Chris (Issa) Hinn https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-issa-hinn-2bb86418b/?originalSubdomain=ca

the reddit comments are too funny ,what a shady business man 🤣 😂

I just don't know how he increases the rent every month ? aren't most leases signed for few years in shopping malls ??

You didn’t hear this from me, but the mall owner is a d***

Every month he’ll increase the rent like crazy to the point where the stores can’t afford it. When I used to work at that mall, every first of the month you’ll see at least 2 stores closing cuz of the rent. And then he’ll keep the stuff from the store and open his own version of the store and sell the same stuff.

Payless shoe store became Payless shack, designer depot shut down and he turned it into designer spot, Sears shut down; he turned it into All home furnishings and sells Sears stuff. He shut down the theatre there during the first lockdown, and then changed the name to “woodbine cinemas” but now he’s waiting for someone to buy the theatre to run it.

I was so sad when bulk barn shut down. They even had a sign saying “due to the rent increase we can’t keep our store open”

I’m pretty sure fantasy fair isn’t owned by him, so I guess they’re selling it since they can’t afford the rent.

I could literally write an essay on what this man has done to the mall l
 
slickpete83 said:
the owner Chris (Issa) Hinn https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-issa-hinn-2bb86418b/?originalSubdomain=ca

the reddit comments are too funny ,what a shady business man 🤣 😂

I just don't know how he increases the rent every month ? aren't most leases signed for few years in shopping malls ??

You didn’t hear this from me, but the mall owner is a d***

Every month he’ll increase the rent like crazy to the point where the stores can’t afford it. When I used to work at that mall, every first of the month you’ll see at least 2 stores closing cuz of the rent. And then he’ll keep the stuff from the store and open his own version of the store and sell the same stuff.

Payless shoe store became Payless shack, designer depot shut down and he turned it into designer spot, Sears shut down; he turned it into All home furnishings and sells Sears stuff. He shut down the theatre there during the first lockdown, and then changed the name to “woodbine cinemas” but now he’s waiting for someone to buy the theatre to run it.

I was so sad when bulk barn shut down. They even had a sign saying “due to the rent increase we can’t keep our store open”

I’m pretty sure fantasy fair isn’t owned by him, so I guess they’re selling it since they can’t afford the rent.

I could literally write an essay on what this man has done to the mall l
Click to expand...

That's illegal and likely infringement of intellectual property rights. Any court would tear his "stores" to shreds and throw the book at him.

They are blatent rip-offs like a Chinese handbag.
 
From my understanding, the Woodbine Centre is being sold in partitions. First the Fantasy Fair - and then an update to the listing
which includes the food court, the stores inside the fair and the movie theatre.

Sounds like the owner can't wait for Amazon to purchase the property.

I really hope the Fair closes before the space becomes another liquidation outlet. Rows of tables everywhere....
 
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