EDMONTON- There are some big changes on the way for an established mall in southeast Edmonton.
The owner of Capilano Mall has decided it's time to renovate and revamp the shopping centre.
For years, traffic in the mall has dwindled. As a result, SmartCentres, the company that owns Capilano Mall, says it's time for that to change.
"We've been trying to lease the space in the enclosed portion of the mall for quite a while and tenants have evolved where they prefer the open air, or unenclosed shopping centre format," said Vice President of Corporate Affairs, Sandra Kieser.
The $11 million project will begin in the spring. The plan is to demolish the section of the mall between Winners and Safeway, and develop an unenclosed, strip mall-type shopping centre between the two anchor stores.
Experts say it's a great move.The Executive Director of the School of Retailing at the University of Alberta, Paul McElhone, says a mix of discount stores and outlets would do well in the Capilano area.
"(It's) in a community that's mature and there's enough space. There's a couple of great anchors. So, I think it has all the potential to do very well," explained McElhone. "I think that there is a huge opportunity for retail to do very well in that area, and I think the community would really expect to have great retail and opportunities for better retail there."
While many of the mall's current tenants say they aren't surprised by the move, some say they aren't happy with it.
"We received a notice about a month ago that they were going to renovate the mall," explained Holly Huynh of Brilliant Goldsmiths, which has been located in Capilano Mall for over 10 years. "We have to go find somewhere else, in a mall location, because a strip mall is very dangerous for a jewelry store."
SmartCentres has offered Brilliant Goldsmiths a location in the renovated site however, Huynh says the size of the store is simply too large for her business.
"The space they're offering us is way beyond what we need and they're not willing to compromise with the space."
Not all of the stores will be affected. The big box stores will remain, as well as some of the businesses that are located in the two storey section of the mall.
"We weren't really concerned, because we just signed a new lease but, it's to our advantage because we're going to get renovations and a new elevator," explained Don Briggs, President of the Edmonton Chapter of the Canadian Celiac Association.
But, Huynh is worried about her business, and says the search for a new location hasn't been going well. The company would like to stay in the same area because it has a great client base, but would prefer an indoor mall location for security.
"We're trying to find somewhere around here which is very difficult because there's not a lot of malls around except Bonnie Doon, and in Bonnie Doon right now, they're not accepting any more jewelry stores," Huynh explained. "We don't know if we can find a place."
The names of the businesses moving into the new site haven't been released. Kieser expects the newly renovated mall to open in the Spring of 2014.
The design of the new site can be seen below.
With files from Vinesh Pratap, Global News.
© Global News. A division of Shaw Media Inc., 2013.