Commercial competition, and the demise of the Eaton's chain in 1999, contributed to the decline and fall of DON MILLS CENTRE. By the time of this circa-2004 layout, the mall was occupied mostly by mom & pop-type tenants. Meanwhile, its proprietor was devising a lifestyle redevelopment of the past-its-prime property.
DON MILLS CENTRE TENANTS 2004:
DOMINION supermarket / NATIONAL SPORTS / Abacus Cuisine / Alia ladies' wear / Anna Bella / Anthony's Restaurant / Arax Jewellers / Bailey's Home Hardware / Baker's Corner / Barclay's Store For Men / Battery Plus (kiosk) / Bell World / Beyond Impressions / Bill's Farm / Bulk Barn / Cadet Cleaners / Canada Trust (outparcel) / Canadian Imperial Bank Of Commerce / Carlton Cards / Cinnabon / Cinnamon Sea ladies' wear / Claire's Boutique accessories / Coles Book Store / Computer Sales & Service / Daisy Mart / Dekao / Diana Sweets Restaurant / Don Mills Dental Clinic / Don Mills Quality Shoe Repair / Druxy's restaurant / Elegant Fashion ladies' wear / Fairweather apparel / Fashion Inn ladies' wear / Fashion Is ladies' wear / Fit For Life restaurant / Flight Centre travel bureau / Fragrance Avenue / Game Shack / Gateway Newstands / Geneva (kiosk) / Grand & Toy / Infoplace (kiosk) / Jack Astor's Bar & Grill / Japan Camera / Joseph's Flowers / K. Jamson / Kellen's / Kernels / Key Man Engravers (kiosk) / Ko's Linens & Gift Shop / Krishna's Collections / LJ Diamonds / La Roche Bags / La Senza (kiosk) / L'Attitudes hair salon / Laura Second / Lenscrafters / Lewis Kitchen / Lewiscraft / London Cleaners / Made In Japan / Maxwell's Men's Shops / Michael J's Footwear / Music World / Naturalizer Shoes / Paul Pogue Salon / PayLess ShoeSource / Phillips Gallery / Radio Shack / Research House / Rogers Plus / Roots (kiosk) / Royal Bank Of Canada / Sew Right / Shoppers Drug Mart / Shorney's Optical / Showcase / Silver Dollar / Smart Set / Spork & Foon home decor / St. Honore Boutique ladies' wear / Stefi Laura / Sul Posto / Sunglass Hut (kiosk) / Suzy Shier / Tabi ladies' wear / Tan Jay ladies' wear / TD-Canada Trust / The Body Shop / The Hair Gallery / The Jaipur Company / The Jewellery Company / The Second Cup / Thomas Cook / Traffic / Urbane Home / Variations ladies' wear / Walking On A Cloud / Watch It / Will Copy / Your Good Health Store / Yves Rocher / Zack's Fashions
FOOD COURT:
Bourbon Street Grill / Diana Sweets / Jimmy The Greek / Manchu Wok / McDonald's hamburgers / Mr. Submarine / Pickwick Fish & Chips / Pizza Pizza / Timothy's Coffees Of The World / Treats / Yogen Fruz
DON MILLS CENTRE was given a wrecking ball renovation in late 2006. The image above -and the two that follow- are parting views of the mall. Charles Staffer's "Don Mills Montage" graced the exterior of the Eaton's anchor store.
Photo from http://photoblair.blogspot.com
This snapshot was taken in the original 1955 section of the mall. By this time, the concourse had been fully-enclosed and given at least a couple of face lift refurbishments.
Photo from http://photoblair.blogspot.com
Lastly, we have a view of the mall's Northwest Entrance, which was rebuilt during a 1997-1998 remodeling.
Photo from http://photoblair.blogspot.com
We move on to the descendant of DON MILLS CENTRE. Originally known as SHOPS AT DON MILLS, and later renamed CF SHOPS AT DON MILLS, the open-air facility was the first quote-unquote "urban village" in Canada. One can't help but wonder just how idyllic this summertime scene might be in blustery cold, wintertime weather...
Photo from https://lesliethefoodie.wordpress.com
We conclude our excursion with a circa-2015 site plan. SHOPS AT DON MILLS is comprised of nearly 512,000 leasable square feet, with a tenant list of over seventy stores and services. Structures retained from the former enclosed mall are surrounded in blue.
Original drawing from http://www.bousfields.ca / Bousfields Incorporated
