There have been plenty of rumours about the future of Orillia Square, but officials want shoppers to know one thing: The mall isn’t going anywhere.
Quite the opposite, in fact.
Major renovations are underway at the mall, just outside of town in Severn. Canadian Tire will be taking over the large space that was most recently occupied by Target and will also be expanding further into the mall. That has led to the relocation of some of the stores.
On Thursday, the mall celebrated the relocation of Ardene, EB Games and Joseph Men’s Clothier.
“We’ve moved them into the heart of the mall,” explained Emer Allen, property manager with BentallGreenOak. “Now that we have the tenants relocated, we’re waiting on the new entrance, which will hopefully be done in the next couple of weeks.”
The new main entrance will be located just east of the previous one. Once it’s finished, all three of the relocated stores will be immediately visible when people enter the mall.
That visibility is a bonus, but so are the stores’ new digs.
“It’s big, bright and beautiful,” said EB Games manager Chelsea Crowe.
While the move was “hectic,” it was worth it, she said, as there is more room for customers to move around in the store.
“I would definitely think there will be more business when this is done. It’ll draw a lot of attention to us,” she said.
Sebastian Chiaramida, who owns Joseph Men’s Clothier, agrees.
“More traffic. That’s the main thing. There hasn’t been much traffic in a while,” he said. “It’s going pretty smoothly. We’re just looking forward to them getting going on Canadian Tire.”
The relocation of Canadian Tire could take up to a year, Allen said.
In the meantime, Ardene manager Janice Ritchie is enjoying her store’s new space.
“We love it,” she said. “It’s a new-generation concept store that the company is coming out with, so we’re excited.”
There are 21 stores in the mall, and Allen said there will be room for a few more near the main entrance once that work is finished.
She praised the tenants, who have been “absolutely phenomenal” throughout the process.
“They’ve welcomed the changes,” she said.
Details about what will happen with the space currently occupied by Canadian Tire have not yet been released.
