Archive for the ‘Dartmouth’ Category
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A Quick Look at Dartmouth ReTales
A quick checkup on Mic Mac Mall following up on earlier Mic Mac post
Construction continues on Target who is targeting an October Opening
While inside ToysRUs its empty but no activity yet so XXI Forever (Forever 21) earliest opening would likely be December
Crescent is getting a new store on the main floor
and Justice has opened and is very bright and sparkly
also on the 1st floor there is a Target training suite for their new employee brain washing
Behind the bus terminal in Portland Hills the complex there is filling up Que Tal Mexican is open and Finnbars and Sameday Dry Cleaning are prepping to open
While down in Woodlawn things are looking bleak
The Simmons Mattress Gallery is still empty (originally built as a Kenny Rogers)
The Harveys is still a shell and Quiznos has gone away and Penningtons moved over to Tacoma
and yesterday Hamachi Grill on Portland closed
but not far away Roccos is adding a patio which I am hoping has a good view of the DMV Motorcycle test circle
and down the highway the new plaza at Pleasant & The Circ is coming along Starbucks Drive Thru has signage in place but I wonder what the takeout window on the other side is for as I understood Mary Browns and Pizzatown were going in but neither of those are take out window places.
and at Kings Wharf , Just Us is getting ready for their new home
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Mic Mac Mall – the mighty are falling
Mic Mac Mall once the Atlantic destination has lost some of it’s lustre, it frankly now seems boring and dated but they are trying,
for example
Jack Jones is opening their first Atlantic store in Mic Mac and Thyme is opening a shiny new store front, and a mystery construction on the 2nd floorThere a few new stores that I hadn’t noticed before
Access (which appears to be a temp Bentley clearance centre) , Stockhomme (another version of International Clothiers), the Mic Mac Lounge which is using empty space, ThinkKitchen which is a rebranded Stokes, and Pandorabut then there are the empties, including Mic Mac Mall Lounge, and Access which seem temporary, and the GO Cards and Games which always seem temporary and then a slew of other open spots including the Sony Store which is now gone
and then there is the eventuality that Toys R Us is going to close, not if but when with the new store so close in Dartmouth Crossing
There are other major tenants that just look like they are waiting for an out
The Bay looks like a Zellers with lower shelves (but kudos to the Bay for putting the registers back in the departments) and that BMO counter which has looke the same since the 70sthere are some quirks I enjoyed though
Senior Parking is a nice touch, better than Hybrid parking IMO
and proof that Crocs are badWhen target opens here in 2013 i think it will be a draw, but a draw unto itself and MMM has lost it’s spot as a destination that it once was.
Update July 16
I may have spoke too soon, Forever 21 will be opening a large store when Toys R us vacates. This is a huge win for the mall combined with H&M this will be a great draw for out of Townes and locals alike. Now if they can fill those empty first floor spaces things would be great. Maybe down that bottom corner they should try and attract restaurants
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Porland Valley: Baker Dr & Mt. Hope
Last installment of Portland Valley
Baker Dr.
On the corner of Portland and what was to become Baker Dr was once Bonanza Bingo Hall and Forbes Chev Olds, the Bingo was long gone replaced by McDonalds and a strip mall that once housed The Keg, by Dartmouth didn’t support the Keg and they closed at first lease expiriry it then for Years was Boomerangs Steakhouse. Forbes recently closed up when GM discontinued pontiac and merged in with MacPhee now MacPhee is moving Chebucto Ford here and renaming it MacPhee Ford and adding to the Auto Mall this area has become.
Further up Baker there once was a Home Depot which once it moved to Dartmouth Crossing most of O’Regans Dartmouth dealership that used to me under the New Bridge into one concentrated area. Across from an Already moved and now oddly named Portland Stent Honda
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Area 1: McDonalds is teh free standing Anchor but Doolys, The Muster Station TD Canda Trust and M&M meat shops. In addtion Skates Unlimited sharpening and repair, Herbal Magic, Belus Hope Travel, Blossoms flowers, nail shop, hearing clinic and hair cuts.
Area 2: A seasonal Farmer Clems Garden Centre and a Petro Canada gas station take up this spot
Area 3: a small professional centre with a Medicine Shoppe, hearing clinic, dizziness clinic and a Snore Store
Area 4: the Auto Mall , Portland Street Honda is on one side of the Parking lot and on the other is a series of O’regan dealerships Hyundai, Nissan, Toyota and Green Light Used cars
Mount Hope
The new kid on the block, I debated whether this was Woodside or Portland Valley but decided to include it here. This is just a recent development this century before that the residents of Dartmouth simply just referred to it as “The Pig Farm” or “that creepy farm across from the Gaston Rd. trailer park, you know the one”. As Home Depot pulled out more development happened and a series of apartment buildings and the a new retail area. Even though the area is fresh it already had one high level causality when It’s All Greek to Me ran into trouble but luckily long term Dartmouth staple Roccos is opening a second location.
I would love it some one open a restaurant called the Pig Farm therebut I disgress
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Area 1: a 2 floor maxi mini mall with most of the usual health providers, arthritis clinic, physio, yoga, snoring, naturalpath, animal hospital, nails, dental, orthodonics, dry cleaning, a construction office, real estate, weight loss and accountants.Access Nova Scotia moved in here and then there. a Manhattan Pizza andthe gem Grindhouse Cafe which has lots of baked goods and coffee decent sandwiches and a great feeling of a family run business.
Area 2: A couple free standers, Lawtons with it new 2 level design that host a medical clinic and a BMO
Area 3: Sobeys
Area 4: Adding to the auto mall Steele Mazda
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Portland Valley: Eisner
Continuing the Portland Valley Shopping Pocket
I remember when Eisner Drive was was a long farm dirt road we used to drive down to buy our eggs. Things really changed in the late 80′s when SuperStore built it’s 2nd Metro store after Sackville and it was a monster the whole area was a superstore with department store goods and small little mall part that had a Cleve’s and Dunkin Donut (then Mr. Donut) in it and few other shops, eventually the SuperStore scaled back and the right side was taken over by Zellers. Once Zellers left for the abandoned Eatons space at Mic Mac. The space was converted over to a Nubody’s and now is a Good Life and Kara’s Day Spa. Superstore eventually took over the Mall Area and you have the store as it is today. on the little out crop strip mall there was a Consumers Distributing and a Target, the Target was a variety store like bi-way but complete with red and white symbol though not affliated with the US chain, it quickly failed and was replaced by a video store and vet. Beside the SuperStore there was Empire 6 to directly compete with Famous Players Penhorn 5 but when Empire took the Atlantic monopoly for movies both merged into Empire Dartmouth Crossing. The little Grey Building sitting by itself was built as a failed franchise of US’s Sizzler.
The Corner at the lights Portland St was a strip mall with Pizza Hut on one End and Midas on the other and Tim’s then opened up in the parking lot, and an Esso. In that plaza the once had Bulldog Fitness which was and awesome kids gym. With the SuperStore opening the by then Loblaws owned Capitol on Portland closed but I do miss that slanty store where you constantly could get shopping carts careening out of control. Beside that was a Honda and Mazda dealer and then Subaru but that land is currently being redeveloped.
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Area 1: SuperStore is the lions share with NSLC, GoodLife Fitness and Kara’s Day Spa, AccessNS was here for years but just recently relocated to Baker Dr. and a Winners that many people say is their favourite Winners. there is also a poor decision furniture rental store.
Area 2: Halifax Regional Library long housed in Woodlawn Mall, HRL took over this abandoned Empire Theatres and turned into a long overdue Library improvement for the area and had the insight to keep one of the theatres in tact for programs.
Area 3: The car dealers are gone but a franchise of Camp Bow Wow doggy daycare is there. Shoppers is building a giant store complete with American style drive thru prescriptions (I believe the first in HRM) and a CIBC.
Area 4: interesting little stripmall with predatory loan shop, tanning, eye clinic and UPS store. A Dartmouth favourite and allegedly the best Chinese in HRM HK Wong’s Palace roost here as does a branch of Cora’s and part of the Hamachi family Hamachi Grill is located here. There is also a branch of the Head Shoppe and Tim Hortons. When the Esso pulled out I suspected that land would stay dormant for years but Superstore opened a gas bar right there.
Area 5: This space seemed to materialize out of nowhere but now houses a Major Discount car repair, a Rubber Duck car wash and The Perfect Pour pub
Area 6: Is the massive MacPhee Chev, formerly Pontiac, which got bigger when GM discontinued the Pontiac brand and MacPhee merged it’s Forbes owned dealership into it , also in this spot is the long term Dartmouth staple of the Steak and Stein which I have never liked but many many disagree with me based on the parking lot full of LeSabre’s and Impalas and Minivans.
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Portland Valley: Woodlawn
Continuing on with the Portland Valley Shopping Pocket
Woodlawn has gone through some changes. In Area 1 Woodlawn Mall started as an enclosed Mall with Save Easy on one end and the Met on the other with the Kandy Kounter (where I used to by comics, baseball cards and hockey cards had a Wayne Gretzky rookie that i used in my bike spokes) and the Woodlawn Library. Eventually the Met and grocery store left and the mall was converted to a strip mall and area 2 was added. Area 6 used to be a church and a school and area 4 was kinda nothing. Area 5 was a a roads salt depot.
click to enlargeArea 1: Anchored by the recent addition of Giant Tiger to Dartmouth , There is a Reitmans and a Penningtons, hair salon, beauty supplies, the Dartmouth location of Comfort and Joy for teh kitschy Martha Stewart types. Dominos pizza, Pasquales Barber shop where I used to get my haircut 35 years ago, Weight Watchers, Moksha Yoga, a daycare, Coastal Dance, HR Block. HRM’s only location of Atlantic Fabrics i miss the strawberry hill store. Citi Financial, bulk barn.
Area 2: Vogue Optical (I can’t say that in my head I can only sing it), Quiznos, Taylor Flooring, Flowers Direct. The New Penny coin shop which has been in the area for a long time I wonder if the need a name change now that there will be no more new pennies? A nail shop, denture clinic, medical clinic, and Giant Robot Comics oh how I lusted for a comic book store when I grew up in Woodlawn, sorry nerd deviation there. all attached to the Abandoned Woodlawn Medical Clinic
Area 3: Staples and a couple abandoned buildings here and here
Area 4: Wendys and an Ultramar
Area 5: Boston Pizza continuing with the odd smattering of Big Box style in the area
Area 6: Dartmouth Dodge the Car Dealerships i’ll cover over the next couple days
Area 7: The Expressway formerly Dorey’s as it is still locally known the interesting part of this location is this is where the Danny Chedrawe started his empire when his family run corner store won on a ticket they bought for the Lotto 6/49
Woodlawn is an odd collection of small and large stores and I suspect it always will be.
Recent Posts
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- The 101 Best Things Put In your Mouth in HRM
- Open City Returns, Yay!
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