Sydney, NS – More than 40 years after first cruising the retail waters of Cape Breton, Mayflower Mall continues to evolve and adapt to the ever-changing conditions in the sea of sales.
Now, after enduring two years of COVID-related restrictions and restrictions, the largest shopping complex in eastern Nova Scotia is welcoming a number of new tenant stores including the increasingly popular HomeSense, a discount home furnishing in Canada operated by the same company that owns the winners.
HomeSense, along with Winners and Marshalls, is owned by Massachusetts-based TJX Corporations. The chain has more than 140 locations in Canada, including six in the Maritime Provinces. Currently, HomeSense outlets are located in Halifax, Dartmouth, New Minas, Fredericton, Moncton and Charlottetown. A new store is also scheduled to open in Bedford.
The Charlottetown-based Guardian, a sister newspaper to the Cape Breton Post and a member of the Salt Wire Network, reported the opening of the Charlottetown HomeSense store in 2015. The story stated that the entry line to the new store extended around the building before the doors were opened.
positive response
The arrival of HomeSense in the spring of 2023 is welcome news for retired and enthusiastic Sydney resident Louise MacDonald, who claims to be one of her favorite stores.
MacDonald, who is also a frequent visitor to the winners’ Mayflower Mall website, said.
“I am very happy that they are opening HomeSense here. I will be shopping there. But that does not mean we will not go on any shopping trips out of town.”
Howie Center resident Sherry Steele, who was found leaving her local Winners store on Sunday, said she hasn’t heard of the new HomeSense plans.
“I didn’t know,” she said, “but it’s great to hear that.”
“I did my shopping there in Halifax and I love it. Now all we need in Cape Breton is a Costco.”
With social media buzzing with news of HomeSense’s intention to open a new retail outlet in Sydney, it looks like the opening will be somewhat of a coup for Mayflower Mall, which was casually announced on Facebook last week.
The post has garnered more than 1,400 likes, 470 comments, and nearly 600 shares.
Comments, which were mostly brief phrases of approval, included “Awesome” and “Yes!” and ‘can’t wait’, ‘awesome’, ‘sexy’, ‘awesome’ and ‘hooray’. There have also been some posts from those unfamiliar with HomeSense, including “What is HomeSense? Never heard of it.”
More events
Greg Morrison, general manager of Mayflower Mall, said the HomeSense would be a welcome addition to the Grand Lake Road shopping mall that opened in August 1980 with Hudson’s Bay, Dominion and Woolco serving as the original stores. Today, its flagship stores include The Bay, Best Buy, Winners, Sport Chek, Staples Depot, Michaels, and Mark’s (formerly Mark’s Work Wearhouse). The mall is managed by McCOR’s Canada-wide management.
“McOR’s leasing division is working to attract new tenants, including HomeSense, which we’re pleased with,” Morrison said.
“We also have Bluenotes/Aeropostle opening in May, new Reitman store opening in June and new Urban Kids opening this summer.”
Other moves at the mall include moving Emerald Isle’s E2 stores from the Winners end of the complex to the Bay side of the mall and opening the new Ricki store, which was sharing a store with Cleo across the boardwalk from Sport Chek.
The last big addition to the Mayflower Mall was in March 2021 when Old Navy opened a location near the food court.
There are still some vacancies. Empty spaces are available for rent.
Meanwhile, McCOR management has not yet confirmed the location of the new HomeSense store, but persistent rumors have emerged that it may acquire the existing Best Buy location at the west end of the mall as the electronics giant moves to another location within the complex.
recovery
When it opened more than four decades ago, many saw the Mayflower Mall as the beginning of the end for downtown retail in the communities that now make up the Cape Breton Regional Municipality. Not only does downtown Sydney survive, but it’s also undergoing a renovation of sorts with the construction of a new waterfront campus for Nova Scotia Community College. There is also $9 million earmarked for downtown redevelopment and upgrades.
Ironically, online shopping and home delivery has been a challenge for brick-and-mortar retailers both downtown and in the mall.
However, mall general manager Morrison believes people are more than willing to go back to shopping in person.
“All of these developments are very positive,” Morrison said.
“It’s been tough with COVID but our customers have continued to support the mall and we feel like we’re in a really good place now, a place we’ve come to expect over the past few years. There is energy in the local market that we haven’t seen in a long time in our community. It’s exciting.”
Mayflower Mall is located on Grand Lake Road just east of Sydney on the way to Glace Bay.
