At one point in time, the Woodbine Centre was one
of the best shopping malls to visit in Etobicoke;
trailing only to Yorkdale Plaza and Sherway
Gardens in terms of stores.
Sadly, by the mid 2000's, many of the Woodbine's
biggest stores began disappearing to the point
where the Woodbine Mall is now on it's last legs.
Staple shops like Music World and Sunrise records
(two Woodbine favorites) were one of the first
noticeable close-outs. The Cineplex Odeon was
downgraded twice to become "Imagine Cinemas"
and two of the mall's long-time anchors (Sears
and Hudson Bay) have since been converted into
Liquidation outlets.
But, the saddest sight of all is what became of the
two-level Zellers (renamed "Shop A Lot"); which is
now an empty shell of it's former self with stacks of
boxes lining the store walls and assortments of left
over, dead stock (tattered "NSYNC" party supplies
from eighteen years ago, anyone?) scattered
everywhere.
The store's slogan? "Cheaper Than Cheap"
unfortunately sums up the Woodbine Centre's
current, run-down state.
Here's hoping the proposed multi-million
dollar "Woodbine Village" renovation plans
inject new life into this otherwise dilapidated
mall.
Notable stores:
Fantasy Fair (famous indoor Amusement Park)
Dollarama
Burger King
Bulk Barn
Tim Hortons