Real estate investment company Strathallen owns Moose Jaw’s Town ‘n’ Country Mall and has big plans to rejuvenate the building, starting with the construction of a new storefront for the Dollarama.
Residents, customers, and passersby have likely seen a flurry of activity on the west side of the mall for more than two months now, as contractors work to create a front entrance for the Dollarama as it relocates from deeper inside the building.
“It’s all in the plans to revitalize the mall. Our whole idea is we want to revamp the front, (so) Dollarama stepped up and we were able to do a deal with them. They’re going to be getting a new storefront (and) a new store with exterior access,” explained Shawn Pharasi, senior director of asset management with Strathallen. “Hopefully, in the upcoming months, we can announce a couple more.”
The company’s goal is to revamp the entire front as quickly as possible — city hall has been “very helpful” in supporting this — but that depends on finding tenants willing to fill those front-facing spaces, he continued. Strathallen adheres to the adage, “If you build it, they will come.” Starting construction is important since it can build positive momentum.
The relocation of the Dollarama is expected to be completed by the fourth quarter of this year or early in 2022.
Strathallen understands that the prime space in the mall faces Main Street, said Pharasi. For years the venue had solid anchors in Zellers and Sears before they shut down. The goal is to attract other national stores to take up residence in the front and use Dollarama to show how successful the revitalization project can be.
Rejuvenating the mall is important because it’s “the heart and soul of Moose Jaw” and is important to residents, while it’s also important to Strathallen as the owner, he continued. The company has been running several programs and initiatives in the building to attract more traffic, such as working with non-profit and charity groups to hold their activities in the building.
“It’s looking good. The traffic … you’ll be pleasantly surprised. It’s not packed, but there’s definitely more traffic,” said Pharasi, noting a cheerleading school has opened in part of the former Sears area on a short-term deal. “We really want to make it the city’s mall; that’s the goal.”
Strathallen has hired Saskatchewanian JoAnn Graham as the senior manager of leasing for its operations in the province. Pharasi pointed out that entrepreneurs or small business owners should contact her about acquiring space in the mall to set up shop.
Graham’s email is jgraham@strathallen.com.
“I’m very optimistic (about the Dollarama project). I believe it’s kind of hard for people to visualize what something will look like until they see it start and they can see an example,” added Pharasi. “I feel once the (Dollarama’s) new storefront is opened, it’s going to be some new energy to the place.
“And hopefully, there’s new small businesses and entrepreneurs who are willing to open up shop. If they open up shop in the interior of the mall, I really think that we can revive this thing and truly make it a destination for everyone in Moose Jaw.”
