Seeking a fresh start
Smart Shop Place has been vacant for more than a year in downtown Sydney
The re-imagination of an iconic downtown Sydney property remains up in the air as owner Parker Rudderham says he’s struggled over the past year to find the “right tenant” for the retail space.
Smart Shop Place has been at the corner of Charlotte and Prince streets since 1904 when it was opened by the Webber family.
It was run by Harvey Webber until his death in 2003, at which point the Meloney family purchased the building. In 2013, they sold it to Rudderham.
The Shoe Tree, owned by Bruce Meloney, was among the last major tenants for the business before it moved up the street to make way for major renovations at Smart Shop Place.
Rudderham said those renovations, which included heating improvements, were completed last spring.
“I can’t overstate how hard it is just to get the right person in these places. It took us quite a while with Amadeo’s (Italian Bistro). And Smart Shop Place is a huge space,” he said.
The prime retail space on the first floor of Charlotte Street is about 25 per cent of the total square footage of the building. Rudderham says he’s trying to get a business to take the entire first floor.
He is considering one of his business interests for Smart Shop Place.
The Great Canadian Tea Company was purchased by Rudderham more than two years ago and now does online and wholesale business out of Ontario and Quebec.
In Smart Shop Place, he has envisioned a retail business that would include a tea room and potentially a bakery.
But that plan remains somewhat unclear, according to Rudderham.
“At this juncture, talking over the holidays, that’s probably what we’re going to do. I don’t want to say 100 per cent that’s what we’re going do but we
want to put something in there.
“It’s not doing us any favours sitting empty and we’re heating it and paying the utilities anyway.”
The Sydney Waterfront District Association office is occupying the space that was the former location for the Cape Breton Fudge Company on the Prince Street side of the building.
Despite the frustration of
finding tenants, Rudderham said he’s never considered selling the building to another developer. He said he believes in downtown Sydney and is looking forward to revitalization plans in the works for Charlotte Street.
The Cape Breton Regional Municipality council endorsed a plan in May that would give Charlotte Street a facelift at a cost of $10.5 million. Of that amount, just over $7.5 million would be used to redesign Charlotte Street from Dorchester to Townsend streets.
A redesigned Charlotte Street would include moving utility lines underground, a wider oneway street to allow for wider sidewalks and an outdoor dining and seating area, as well as small parks to make it a more inviting place for pedestrians and shoppers.
CBRM Dist. 5 Coun. Eldon MacDonald, who represents downtown Sydney on municipal council, said he would like to see businesses fill the space in Smart Shop Place, as well as
other large vacant buildings in the former Jacobson’s women’s wear and Yazer’s men’s clothing stores on Charlotte Street.
“I would like something to happen in all three of those buildings,” MacDonald said.
“I would like to see someone open up a business and lease space or someone who has the opportunity to purchase and put those buildings – Jacobson’s and Yazer’s – under
local ownership, that would be great.”
He said the concern becomes greater the longer the retail space remains vacant with no potential for redevelopment.
Rudderham said despite the time he has taken to identify one or more businesses to occupy Smart Shop Place, he wants to keep his presence in downtown Sydney.
“There are good things happening. We have NSCC (Marconi campus) moving downtown. I remain positive about the downtown.”
He said it also took time to lease out the space formerly occupied by Amadeo’s Italian Bistro at 100 Townsend St. A new restaurant, Rimini’s Pasta and Noodle, is now operating in that space as of a couple of weeks ago.
With that now completed, he said the plan is to focus solely on finding a tenant for Smart Shop Place.