It's hard to imagine while walking through Toronto's Cumberland Terrace today that the Yorkville mall was once a stylish, bustling shopping destination that people made a point to visit rather than simply passed through on their way to someplace else.
Opened in 1974, the two-level centre has more than 60 storefronts that have, over the decades, served as home to everything from high-end clothing shops and hair salons to furniture and flower stores, restaurants and an LCBO.
As of recent years, though, most of the units have emptied out, lending a decidedly eerie quality to the more than 80,000-square-foot space that is still rife with the quintessentially '70s design elements that defined its long-gone heyday.
Though tenants have witnessed the mall gradually winding down before their eyes and have long been aware of plans to eventually redevelop the property, there was never a firm expiration date on the horizon for them to prepare for — that is, until this spring.
In May, vendors, many of whom have occupied their units for decades, were abruptly given notice that their leases would end in a matter of weeks. Some were told that they'd have to be out by the end of June, while others are being permitted to stay through at least part of July.
"A month is kind of short notice, right?" Dorjee Nepali, the owner of Tibet Gallery, told blogTO during our visit to Cumberland Terrace last week ahead of its imminent closure.
He was able to negotiate with the landlord to stay a few extra weeks, until mid-July, as at the time he was given the news, he was "just getting ready for summer; in fact, I was ordering more product."
Given that his store has been there on and off for about 18 years — he had actually moved from Cumberland Terrace to different location in the area for a period when rumours of redevelopment first started, before eventually coming back — he's now been rushing to notify regular clients and get their contact information for when he moves.
"It's been rumoured for all these years, but right now I'm in a limbo. Like, am I moving? Where, or what am I doing?"
Like many other tenants, he hopes to find an alternative storefront somewhere nearby so customers don't have to come too far to find him. But the rent in the adjacent Holt Renfrew Centre, Manulife Centre, Hudson Bay Centre and others is significantly higher.
A few steps away, the owner at phone repair and accessory shop Mobile One Inc. has a few more weeks than Dorjee to wrap up operations, having been given two months notice back in the spring. Though he was aware prior to May that his store's time would likely be limited, the two-month notice was still extremely unexpected.
"We kind of knew from the beginning that it wasn't going to be long-term, like ten years or anything, but we were actually really surprised because we just heard there was a new tenant here."
Notorious 'dead' mall in Toronto is kicking out its few remaining tenants
Opened in 1974, the two-level centre has more than 60 storefronts that have, over the decades, served as home to everything from high-end clothing shops and hair salons to furniture and flower stores, restaurants and an LCBO.
As of recent years, though, most of the units have emptied out, lending a decidedly eerie quality to the more than 80,000-square-foot space that is still rife with the quintessentially '70s design elements that defined its long-gone heyday.
Though tenants have witnessed the mall gradually winding down before their eyes and have long been aware of plans to eventually redevelop the property, there was never a firm expiration date on the horizon for them to prepare for — that is, until this spring.
In May, vendors, many of whom have occupied their units for decades, were abruptly given notice that their leases would end in a matter of weeks. Some were told that they'd have to be out by the end of June, while others are being permitted to stay through at least part of July.
"A month is kind of short notice, right?" Dorjee Nepali, the owner of Tibet Gallery, told blogTO during our visit to Cumberland Terrace last week ahead of its imminent closure.
He was able to negotiate with the landlord to stay a few extra weeks, until mid-July, as at the time he was given the news, he was "just getting ready for summer; in fact, I was ordering more product."
Given that his store has been there on and off for about 18 years — he had actually moved from Cumberland Terrace to different location in the area for a period when rumours of redevelopment first started, before eventually coming back — he's now been rushing to notify regular clients and get their contact information for when he moves.
"It's been rumoured for all these years, but right now I'm in a limbo. Like, am I moving? Where, or what am I doing?"
Like many other tenants, he hopes to find an alternative storefront somewhere nearby so customers don't have to come too far to find him. But the rent in the adjacent Holt Renfrew Centre, Manulife Centre, Hudson Bay Centre and others is significantly higher.
A few steps away, the owner at phone repair and accessory shop Mobile One Inc. has a few more weeks than Dorjee to wrap up operations, having been given two months notice back in the spring. Though he was aware prior to May that his store's time would likely be limited, the two-month notice was still extremely unexpected.
"We kind of knew from the beginning that it wasn't going to be long-term, like ten years or anything, but we were actually really surprised because we just heard there was a new tenant here."
Notorious 'dead' mall in Toronto is kicking out its few remaining tenants
