Mic Mac Mall Explained

Mic Mac Mall
Image Alt:	A woman walks toward the mall entrance between the Urban Planet and Old Navy stores
Location:	Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada
Address:	21 Micmac Boulevard Dartmouth, NS B3A 4N3
Opening Date:	1973
Manager:	Cushman & Wakefield
Owner:	Mic Mac Mall Limited Partnership
Number Of Stores:	160
Number Of Anchors:	9
Floors:	3
Publictransit:	Micmac Terminal (Halifax Transit)

Mic Mac Mall is Atlantic Canada's largest enclosed shopping mall located in the community of Dartmouth, across the harbour from Halifax, Nova Scotia.^[1] It is owned and managed by Mic Mac Mall Limited Partnership.^[2]

With stores on three levels, Mic Mac Mall is a major shopping destination for the Maritimes and the only location for Decathlon east of Quebec. The mall is located in a suburban area south of Lake Micmac and northwest of the Micmac Parclo interchange. It hosts a Halifax Transit bus terminal.

History

The mall was announced on 13 July 1971 by the developer, Micmac Shopping Centre Limited, which was jointly owned by Simpsons, Eaton's, and a Dartmouth development company called MacCulloch and Company Limited. It was built in Micmac Village, a housing development being constructed by MacCulloch and Co. following the opening of nearby Highway 111.^[3] A Sobeys supermarket was initially planned, but Dominion ended up winning the tender to establish a store in the complex.^{[3] [4]}

Construction was carried out by Robert MacAlpine Ltd.^[5] Originally anchored by Simpsons and Eaton's, the mall was officially opened in November 1973 by Nova Scotia premier Gerald Regan, Mi'kmaq grand chief Donald Marshall, and Dartmouth mayor Eileen Stubbs.^[6] It underwent major expansions in 1978 and 1981. In 1976, Simpsons and MacCulloch jointly bought Eaton's share of the mall, increasing their equity to 50 per cent each.^[7]

Simpson's was acquired by the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) in 1978, and by the mid-1980s, Mic Mac Mall was wholly owned by Markborough Properties, a subsidiary of HBC.^[8] In 1996, Markborough sold its interest in the mall to Cambridge Shopping Centres Limited.^[9] Ownership passed to the newly formed Ivanhoé Cambridge when Cambridge merged with Ivanhoe Corporation in February 2001.

Mic Mac Mall opened an arcade in 1994 called Sparkles, following the relocation of the food court where it was in the same location where they only had 7 restaurants before they renovated and relocated to the other corner of the third floor.

In June 2018, Ivanhoé Cambridge announced that they planned to spend over $55 million renovating the property.^[10] The common areas were extensively refurbished and the food court was renovated. The company sold the property to Halifax developer Joe Ramia and an unnamed group of investors in 2021.^[11]

Christmas tree

Over the years, Mic Mac Mall had either delighted or frightened children with a talking Christmas tree named Woody. Woody would be set up in the centre court along with Santa where children would get the chance to talk to him. Woody had become a Christmas tradition at Mic Mac Mall and was around for over 25 years. In 2007, Mic Mac Mall decided to retire Woody due to safety concerns and extensive repairs needed to Woody's frame.

Following the shopping centre's 2021 sale, the new owners promised to bring Woody back to the mall. On November 19, 2021, Woody returned after a 15-year absence with a makeover to his appearance.^[12] Local Radio host Lee Rodgers is the main voice. Hundreds of people turned up to witness the unveiling of the tree. The tree gained national and international attention after it was shown on the November 23, 2021 episode of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.^[13] Woody's return was subsequently covered by several international news outlets including CNN.^[14]

Major stores

• Hudson's Bay (151,303 sq ft.)^{[15] [16]}
• Zellers (Pop-up)
• Old Navy (19,234 sq ft.) * Does Not Have A Mall Entrance
• H&M (20,780 sq ft.)
• Shoppers Drug Mart (10,773 sq ft.)
• Decathlon (33,046 sq ft.)
• LinenChest (17,466 sq ft.)
• Chapters (25,752 sq ft.) * Free Standing
• Urban Planet (16,989 sq ft.)
• Winners (25,976 sq ft.)^[17]

Former major stores

• Eaton's - Opened October 13th 1973 as a single level store.^[18] Closed in 1997 as part of six store closures by the chain that year due to Eaton's ongoing financial difficulty.
• Simpsons - Opened 1973 as a single level 90,000 sq ft store. Simpsons was purchased by the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) in 1978. In 1981, HBC renovated and expanded the Simpsons store to two levels.^{[19] [20]} Converted to Hudson's Bay (The Bay) in August 1986 as HBC decided to focus Simpsons in the metro Toronto and Montreal markets. ^[21]
• Zellers - Former Eaton's - Opened 1999 rebuilt as a two level store and mall expansion. This Zellers location was the only two level store in the Maritimes having replaced two smaller locations. Closed in 2013 as part of lease sale to Target by HBC. But in 2023, Zellers reopened in Hudson's Bay as a pop-up.
• Target - Former Zellers - Opened Fall 2013 - Closed 2015 as part of liquidation of Target Canada assets. Space has been redeveloped into several retailers.^[22]
• Toys "R" Us - Opened 1994 only location in Nova Scotia - Relocated to a nearby shopping center, Dartmouth Crossing in 2012.
• Forever 21 - Former Toys "R" Us - Closed 2019 and replaced with Decathlon
• Dominion^[23] - Opened 1974.^[24] Later converted to IGA, which closed in 2002 and was replaced with a Winners/HomeSense.^[25]
• HomeSense - Opened 2005 paired with Winners. Separated from Winners and Relocated to a stand alone store in Dartmouth Crossing May 2020.
• Future Shop - Opened in the 1990s as a free standing store along with Chapters, Starbucks and Kent. In December 2008 it relocated to a free standing store in Dartmouth Crossing which closed early 2015 due to liquidation).
• Mark's - (formerly Mark's Work Warehouse) moved to Penhorn Mall in 1989.
• Kent - The opening date is currently unknown the Kent was a free standing store but it was relocated to Dartmouth Crossing in 2018 as of today it became an Indigo Distribution Centre.
• Designer Depot
• GAP
• IGA

Transit terminal

Mic Mac Mall is home to the Micmac Terminal, a major hub for Halifax Transit buses. It is served by the following routes:

• 10 Dalhousie
• 54 Montebello
• 55 Port Wallace
• 56 Dartmouth Crossing
• 67 Baker
• 72 Portland Hills

See also

• List of largest shopping malls in Canada
• List of shopping malls in Canada

Notes and References

1. Web site: October 2020. Mic Mac Mall Property Fact Sheet. 24 February 2021. Property Fact Sheet October 2020.
2. Web site: Mic Mac Mall. 2021-02-25. shopping-centres.ivanhoecambridge.com.
3. News: Simpsons, Eaton's Dartmouth shopping centre partners . The Globe and Mail . 14 July 1971 . B2.
4. News: Watkins . Lyndon . Halifax Developments confirms new setup . The Globe and Mail . 6 April 1972 . B2.
5. News: Watkins . Lyndon . N.S. construction rate rising but outside competition, government curbs causing concern . The Globe and Mail . 9 September 1972 . B10.
6. Web site: VINTAGE REPRINT OF MICMAC MALL OPENING . HeraldShop . 5 October 2023.
7. News: Keddy . Barbara . Chairman of Simpsons expects better year for business . The Globe and Mail . 6 April 1977 . B6.
8. Web site: Markborough Properties Inc. Annual Report 1986 . McGill Digital Archive . Markborough Properties . 17 . 1987.
9. News: Zehr . Leonard . Markborough writing down property assets . The Globe and Mail . 26 April 1996 . B1.
10. News: Mic Mac Mall to undergo $55M in renovations . CBC . 25 July 2018.
11. News: Taylor . Roger . Dartmouth shopping mecca Mic Mac Mall sold to Halifax developer Joe Ramia . . 2 September 2021.
12. Web site: November 19, 2021 . November 22, 2021. Woody the talking Christmas tree resurfaces with new face at Dartmouth's Mic Mac Mall. November 24, 2021. Saltwire News.
13. News: Cooke. Alex. November 24, 2021. Jimmy Fallon pokes fun at N.S. mall's infamous Woody the Talking Christmas Tree. Global News. November 24, 2021.
14. News: Groff . Meghan . CNN airs report on Woody the Talking Christmas Tree . . 30 November 2021.
15. Web site: Ivanhoé. Cambridge. February 2021. Lease Plan - Level 2 - Niveau 2. February 25, 2021. Lease Plan - Level 2 - Niveau 2.
16. Web site: Ivanhoé. Cambridge. February 2021. Lease Plan - Level 3 - Niveau 3. Lease Plan - Level 3 - Niveau 3.
17. Web site: Ivanhoé. Cambridge. Lease Plan - Level 1 - Niveau 1. February 26, 2021. Lease Plan Documents.
18. Book: Kopytek, Bruce Allen. Eaton's : the trans-Canada store. 2014. 978-1-62619-219-5. Charleston, SC. 187. 892059137.
19. Web site: Hudson's Bay Company. Annual Report 1980. February 24, 2021. HBC Annual Report 1980.
20. Web site: Hudson's Bay Company. Annual Report 1981. February 24, 2021. HBC Annual Report 1981. HBC Annual Report McGill Digital Archive.
21. Web site: HBC. Annual Report 1986. April 4, 2021. HBC Annual Report 1986. McGill Digital Archive.
22. Web site: 2018-07-31. Ivanhoé invests $55M in Mic Mac Mall renovation. 2021-02-24. RENX - Real Estate News Exchange. en-US.
23. Halifax ReTales . HalifaxReTales . 1052307192894775296 . October 16, 2018 . Mic Mac Mall store listing ~1984 https://t.co/BhWdySJg6F . en . December 8, 2022.
24. Lank . Cynthia . What d'ya do with 300 cases of Zippies? Create an amazing display that will guarantee their sales . Canadian Grocer . March 1999 . 113 . 2 . 20 . 0008-3704.
25. Mic Mac Mall . Mic Mac Mall . micmacmall . 619256614911123457 . July 9, 2015 . @peopleofhalifax @LibraryAl @knuf1985 that's where we come in! We did have an IGA until 2004! Winners opened in 2005 #ThrowbackThursday . en . December 8, 2022.