Niagara Square era ends
It’s the end of an era at Niagara Square.
The enclosed area of the Montrose Road mall closed on Sunday, marking the end of the 40-year-old shopping centre.
When the closure was announced in January, a RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust Co. representative said the company, which owns an interest in the shopping centre, will be making “a significant investment into a redevelopment plan that will transform the enclosed areas of Niagara Square into an updated retail environment with additional parking stalls for shoppers.”
No timeline has been given for the project.
In an email to The Review on Friday, Terri Andrianopoulos, vicepresident of marketing for RioCan, said there is no updated statement from the company.
Stores had been slowly closing up shop since tenants were given notice in January to vacate the mall by May 1. On Sunday, the only inside store that was open for business was Winners.
Stores with outdoor access, such as Michaels and the Mandarin, will remain open throughout the transition. The Winners store, which currently does not have an outdoor entry, is also slated to stay open.
The 36,000-square-metre shopping centre, which opened in 1977, has 83 units but many have been empty in recent years. In January, less than 30 per cent of the stores were occupied.
Tammy Robertson was the marketing director at the mall for 15 years, starting in 1999.
“I’m going to miss everybody I ever worked with,” she said.
It was her job to engage the community by offering a variety of community events at the mall.
“I loved to have the ability to do something for the community and it didn’t cost anybody anything,” she said. “There was never an admission.
“I was able to bring some really cool events to the mall for everyone to enjoy.”
She helped to organize a variety of children’s events at the mall and also made sure Niagara Square’s Santa was the “real deal.”
She was also responsible for opening the doors to local charities, offering empty units to nonprofit agencies.
“We did everything we could to make it all work for the community,” said Robertson, who is now a published author. “As we were losing stores, I was losing my budget but I kept plugging away, trying to do what I could.”
Tammy Cryer-Williston was the manager of Alia/Tanjay for 13 years but her connection with Niagara Square goes back much farther than that.
Her mother, Judy Cryer, was one of the mall’s first employees. She worked at Family Fair, a Giant Tiger-style store.
“My mom got her first job there. The mall wasn’t open yet. She said the floors weren’t even in.”
Both Cryer-Williston and her mother had a number of jobs at the mall over the years.
“Lots of wonderful memories,” she said. “I know I lost my job, but what I will miss the most is the people and the relationships I have built throughout the years. Very sad to see it go.”
Meanwhile, the annual Women’s Place Book Riot will return to the mall on May 11 to 14. The sale this year will be held inside an exterior store.