A big-box store with a sense of history, drama
Shoppers Drug Mart writes latest scene in long script of Runnymede Theatre
The historic Runnymede Theatre on Bloor St. W. has been a movie house, a bingo hall and a bookstore, and now it is a Shoppers Drug Mart.
Customers lined up last week to be the first to judge whether or not the big-box pharmacy chain — now a part of the Loblaws family empire — had preserved not just the walls and ceiling of the community’s beloved Runnymede, but the feel and ambience of the theatre, built in 1927.
“I think Shoppers Drug Mart did a beautiful job. The old movie theatre is much more visible and evident. It’s cleaned up, fresh and airier. It’s all very pretty. I think they’ve pumped it up,” said resident John Attard, 59, who dropped by the store for the first time on Monday. “It’s nice to see a big-box store like this make the effort, respect what was here.”
The Shoppers Drug Mart opened its doors on Thursday, with a grand opening on Saturday, said pharmacy owner Manjit Hansra. The company hired people to dress as movie ushers and give out candy and coupons.
Hansra, 36, who owned the Shoppers for six years when it was located down the street, said he felt pressure to do the space justice. He was relieved when he saw the looks on the faces of the first customers through the doors. The reaction has been overwhelmingly positive and Hansra believes the store will be an anchor and a draw for businesses located along Bloor St. W.
The entrance: The renovation has preserved the facade, the old ticket booth, the grand entrance, the small wooden stage, the clamshell wall sconces and the soaring blue ceiling. There is a screen at the back of the store where, instead of movies, images of the neighbourhood in different eras are projected, larger than life. The theatre’s red velvet curtains have been preserved.
Lighting: The store is uniquely lit, with ropes of LEDs strung around the inside ledge of each shelf. The effect is . . . theatrical. “It really makes the products pop,” said Hansra.
The first shelves of products at the entrance are a reminder that Loblaw Companies Ltd. bought Shoppers in a $12.4-billion deal and that the pharmacy is evolving into more of a neighbourhood store, selling everything from patio furniture to frozen dinners as well as prescription drugs. President’s Choice grocery products line many of the shelves.
Beauty Boutique: Instead of laying out shelves in rows, beauty product shelves have been arranged like spokes on a wheel, radiating from a central counter. Standing in front of the service counter, a customer can easily locate Chanel, Lancôme, Clinique, Clarins, Smashbox and new lines including Paul and Joe and Urban Decay. “The reason we chose that formation is that we wanted it to be like the theatre. You come into the centre and you see everything from the centre. It’s like a grand stage all around you,” said Cathy Masson, vice-president of category management at Shoppers Drug Mart.
The projector: On the second floor, a projector from the original movie house was preserved in the renovation undertaken by Chapters Indigo and the building owners. The projector was kept in place by Shoppers Drug Mart.
“We looked at relocating it in different spots, but that is where it’s always been, said Masson. On shelves near the projector, shoppers can buy movie theatre treats, including cotton candy and jumbo peanuts in the shell.
“It’s part of the ambience. We are trying to keep the feel of the theatre,” said Masson.
The history: The Runnymede opened June 2, 1927, just as live vaudeville theatre was being replaced by “talkies,” motion pictures with sound. It was an “atmospheric theatre,” designed to make theatregoers feel like they were sitting under a night sky. The twinkling ceiling lights were preserved by Chapters Indigo, but they are not visible in the latest incarnation.
Television eventually led to a steep decline in movie attendance. In the early 1970s, the Runnymede was converted into a bingo hall before relaunching as a two-screen theatre in the 1980s.
The last film to play in the space was You’ve Got Mail, on Feb. 28, 1999.
What was said: Newer residents miss the bookstore, but the location wasn’t selling enough books to afford an upcoming rent increase. Older residents often say they still wish it was a theatre.
“I can remember watching Star Wars here; I can remember watching Star Trek. I’d rather it was back as an old theatre,” said local resident Ron Tully.
“It’s not much changed from the Chapters renovation. I was expecting major changes.”