Calgary Shopping & Retail Developments Thread

[ae118]

Originally Posted by RoadGame

I wish the Cineplex would repaint their exterior... that tremclad rainbow look was awful from the day it went up.

I wish they’d redo the whole thing and get rid of the faux Egyptian theme. It was sort of cool when there was a mummy laser light show above the concession every hour or whatever, but it’s beyond outdated now. It’s quite worn out too, and they keep just moving things around in the lobby without a bigger picture update.

[ae118]

Originally Posted by burn_this_city

I can't envision Saks 5th Ave surviving in Chinook, been there twice, both time mostly empty and tons of clothes that won't sell here. My wife said half the stuff she wouldn't buy for $5 at value village it was that tacky.

I went through with a friend a few months ago, just after going to Nordstrom, where we both shop fairly often so I wouldn’t think we were totally out of Saks’ target market. Literally nothing in Saks caught our eyes and we walked both floors. The lighting was also odd, and it feels sort of closed off - without many shoppers it had a strange feel. Interested to see if it lasts as well.

[getbak]

Originally Posted by RoadGame

I feel old. I remember the mall before that big reno and for some reason the flooring in particular - kind of a white colour with reflective quartz-like flakes embedded in it. Would that have been original (60s? 70s?) or was there another epic reno at some point in its history?

I think Chinook has been in a constant state of renovation since it opened.

When it first opened, it was actually two separate malls. Sears was the anchor tenant of the north mall and Woodward's was the anchor of the south. Eventually, the two malls expanded and were joined in the middle in the mid-70s.

My earliest memories of the mall were in the early 80s, and even though the upper floor was connected from one end to the other, you had to go outside and cross a small road to get from the north end to the south on the main floor.

In the mid-80s, they closed that gap with a new east-west expansion (this is probably where the white tile you remember was). At that point, the whole mall was a big mish-mash of different styles from the various eras, which led to the massive rebuild they did in the late-90s/early 2000s.

Then, a decade ago, they started on the new wing. Now, they're looking at another huge expansion. Once that's done, pretty much all of the usable space on the property will be filled up.

[Ducay]

And yet Chinook keeps expanding despite traffic access being basically the same since the 70s

McLoad, Im looking at you. What they really need is a below grade tunnel connector to the parkade. So going NB on McLoad, once you pass Glenmore you'd then go down into a tunnel into the mall.

[you&me]

Originally Posted by Ducay

And yet Chinook keeps expanding despite traffic access being basically the same since the 70s

McLoad, Im looking at you. What they really need is a below grade tunnel connector to the parkade. So going NB on McLoad, once you pass Glenmore you'd then go down into a tunnel into the mall.

I believe I've seen plans for that exact tunnel included in the next expansion.

[Northendzone]

Because the last pedestrian tunnel under glenmore worked out so well.

My office is across the street from chinook, one day I was in the elevator and there were two guys with Cadillac Fairview bags talking, and it sounded as if they somehow wanted to expand chinook across Macleod somehow.

As for the theatre, I wonder if it is now seeing some slightly reduced usage given the new theatres that have opened in east hills and seton. Both these theatres feature easier access in and out and wide comfortable seats

[Northendzone]

n/m - double post

[tvp2003]

Originally Posted by getbak

My earliest memories of the mall were in the early 80s, and even though the upper floor was connected from one end to the other, you had to go outside and cross a small road to get from the north end to the south on the main floor.

Somewhere seared into my brain as a memory of walking across that road to get from one side to the other... I can't quite picture what the upper tier looked like -- would love to see some photos if there are any circulating around.

I do recall there being a big water fountain in the middle of the mall -- I think it was near where the old Flames store was. I also recall begging my mom for a Flames jersey which she eventually bought at a t-shirt store elsewhere in the mall -- it got crested with name and number on the back /coolstorybro

[Fuzz]

I can't link directly, but go here:


http://ww2.glenbow.org/search/archivesPhotosSearch.aspx


search for chinook
and in the date put 1960 : 1990


They have some aerial and interior shots, not many.

[Shazam]

There used to be some stores that were only accessible from the outside, including an arcade.

[Hack&Lube]

Originally Posted by ae118

I went through with a friend a few months ago, just after going to Nordstrom, where we both shop fairly often so I wouldn’t think we were totally out of Saks’ target market. Literally nothing in Saks caught our eyes and we walked both floors. The lighting was also odd, and it feels sort of closed off - without many shoppers it had a strange feel. Interested to see if it lasts as well.

Yes, Nordstrom is bright and airy and Saks feels like a dungeon with closed off cells on the sides and scary mannequins. I know they didn't have much to work with because of the low ceilings of the old Zellers/Target but even Target felt bright and open compared to Saks.

[Hack&Lube]

Originally Posted by RoadGame

I feel old. I remember the mall before that big reno and for some reason the flooring in particular - kind of a white colour with reflective quartz-like flakes embedded in it. Would that have been original (60s? 70s?) or was there another epic reno at some point in its history?

I wish the Cineplex would repaint their exterior... that tremclad rainbow look was awful from the day it went up.

The quartz with flakes in it could still be seen in the stairwell to the bowling alley which I believe has never been renovated since the 60s/70s. The area with the pillars in front of the Bay also had that quartz look.

Other parts of the mall had that ubiquitous 70s/80s orange smooth brick floor appearance.

[Hack&Lube]

Originally Posted by Joborule

I feel like Sunridge is in this bind right now. Too good to be a ghetto mall (Can't see Marlborough surviving in its current format much longer), but don't have enough stores that people want which are in Market Mall and Chinook. Although Chinook is higher end than Sunridge should strive to be. It should be competing with Crossiron to draw in shoppers from the NE and Chestermere area.

My impression of Marlborough is that it is extremely busy and has executed the ghetto mall well. It's just the Sears end past the food court is a little dead now.

[Hack&Lube]

How is Sunrise Records still in business? HMV couldn't make it so they bought out all the stores and leases (after they had liquidated) and basically put up a carbon copy of H&M except with a few more vinyl bins out front.

[you&me]

Originally Posted by Northendzone

Because the last pedestrian tunnel under glenmore worked out so well...

Not a pedestrian tunnel; vehicular, directly into the parkade.

Though that doesn't matter, because I misremembered the details. It's supposedly a ramp that's planned to an above ground parkade, not a tunnel -

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgar...kade-1.4040154

[Shazam]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

How is Sunrise Records still in business? H&M couldn't make it so they bought out all the stores and leases (after they had liquidated) and basically put up a carbon copy of H&M except with a few more vinyl bins out front.

HMV had a ton of debt that they couldn't get out of. Sunrise has little.

[MRCboicgy]

To really re-invigorate Crowfoot, they should bring back Outback Steakhouse.

[Hack&Lube]

Originally Posted by MRCboicgy

To really re-invigorate Crowfoot, they should bring back Outback Steakhouse.

How about a Bonanza or a White Spot or Mother Tuckers there? That would really modernize the place.

[RM14]

I a eagerly waiting for the North Hill Chillis location replacement + what they plan on doing with the whole Sears/East side.

[bob-loblaw]

Originally Posted by Shazam

There used to be some stores that were only accessible from the outside, including an arcade.

I think I got dragged there a long time ago when we still lived in Edmonton. Wasn't Churgins Shoes accessible on the outside?