It's a good start. All they need after the renovation is some tenants to fill some of the empty stores.

Oh yeah, and they should do something about the food court... Mr. Frosty? London Fries? Puh-lease...

Nice to have some changes, but we all know what a "mall lease" consists of.
Every retailer will be required to pay their fair share.
The cost per sq.foot will surely reach a new high. What type of retailers will be capable of bearing high fees to operate in this mall???
Prices will have to go up, up, up!!
Beauty will surely come at a price.
I am not sure even the shoppers are prepared.
Must be something coming to boost this city's economy.
Is it possible they know something we do not know??
MrPG-you must frequent the Mall-hope it is just not the food court, which seemed O K to me!!!
What type of improvements would you suggest???
They would probably appreciate your imput!!!!!

Surprise---application already in for our "natural Gas" to go up by 10%.
Hope this is not a cold winter!!!!
Not too much to look forward to, is there???
Look on the bright side-and do not ask me what that is???????
Instead-tell me!!!

Gypsy, I've been known to drop in to the mall from time to time. And no, I don't eat at the food court (much).

As for my suggestion, get some 'real' food vendors in there (i.e. Orange Julius, New York Fries) instead of the cheap knock-offs. Maybe that's in the works...

As for prices going up, gypsy, that is just a part of life. I have come to accept it. We as consumers can choose to not purchase things we consider too expensive.

Things like the increase in natural gas prices will definitely contribute to higher consumer prices and inflation in general, but what are you going to do about it? Complaining about it does little.

I do not worry about just what I can afford myself. I can well afford whatever prices come into play, but I have friends that sure as hell cannot afford things to go up another dime, and I know there are many like them.
They are in their so called "golden" years, and I can tell you in their minds there is not even a "silver" lining on any clouds that surface for them.
I am not one who is just concerned about myself and my needs.
If people do NOT compain then nothing will ever be changed, and people will be subjected to whatever whim the "powers that be" decide to bestow on them.
Why do rallys work, why does picketing take place, why do people write in objections and state opinions???
Is it not an attempt to have some form of influence on what is taking place????
Change can come about from people "taking a stand." and voicing "complaints."
I always remember there are others existing in this world less fortunate than myself, and I would not care to suffer myself, and do not have any pleasure in watching others struggle.
So be it!!!!

Some daylight in the food court would be nice.

As far as food goes, something like Tastebuds from Parkwood Place would be nice as well. I love Sushi. Also, the Deli should move in there, although their location can’t be beat at the moment. They need some outside seating. We need a green grocer in this town badly!!!! One located next to food shopping should be able to survive, But then again, knowing the mall scene, there might be restrictions on that with the existing grocery store tenant.

Some pics from the new Aberdeen Mall food court in Richmond … nice and bright and airy ….

http://putfile.com/pic.php?pic=8/23712412734.jpg&s=x1

http://putfile.com/pic.php?pic=8/23712414736.jpg&s=x1

http://putfile.com/pic.php?pic=8/23712420290.jpg&s=x1

Well, I agree... partially. I guess I just see a fine line between 'voicing opinions' and 'complaining'. Complaining about the price of natural gas in my view, is kind of like complaining about the weather. I remember some time ago some folks protested the price of gas in town (I think it was 76 cents at the time)... well, you can see where gas prices went from there. Anyway, I digress...

As I said, we as consumers can 'voice our opinion' by voting with our wallets on some consumer items.

Not everyone is as sweet as yourself MrPG.
Some people look for change, and if voicing complaints can help-I am all for it.
Opinions are fine-but what have they accomplished??? What actual changes have come about???
Making judgement calls on whether a person has money and can afford or not is of no consequence.
I strive for the good of all, and I am not adverse to helping others.
It can not be all about money all the time, and who is solvent, and who isn't.
Certain policies and beliefs do not contribute to the wellness or happiness of the needier sector of society.
Voting with my wallet has never entered my mind.
Guess we are just not on the same page.
So be it!!!

hmmmm.. bring on Nando's Chicken!

Gypsy, I'm not sure if you missed the point of my post or not, but you seem to have gone off on a tangent there.

Anyway, tengents aside, I think we're probably more on the same page with things than you realize.

I agree with MrPG. Good start but new tenants are needed. How many vacancies there now? 6 or 7. Maybe this is what the "You're Hired" ads meant during the election. It would be nice to see some new choices in the food court and the promise of more lighting is welcome also. Good luck with the attempt to get some of your customers back.

For those who may not be aware of shopping trends, indoor malls are hurting across North America and have been doing so for some time. Aberdeen Mall in Richmond is one of the few new indoor malls. Even that one is really not new since the old one was completely demolished to be replaced with a show piece for the Asian-Canadian market.

Just as we are not the only city with a problem downtown, we are not the only city to see a major indoor mall, only 30 decades old, showing signs of problems developing, not because the city has not grown in a decade, but because other forms of retail have entered the scene to compete.

Strip malls and box stores have been the flavours of the decade. There is absolutely nothing unique about Prince George. We are simply following the North American trend.

Remember, North America is the "throw away society" and we are simply in the process of “throwing away” entire neighbourhood and even regional infrastructures for "new" development.

How many of you have watched the transformation of College Heights Shopping Centre? Do you recognize the elements? Stand alone buildings along with a component of the strip mall "revitalized". In addition, a "food mart" completely rebuilt to present day standards with lots of dollars spent on a "look" which, from my point of view, certainly makes shopping a much more pleasant experience.

That mall is simply a microcosm of where Pine Centre is likely to head. The question is will it be successful? Only time will tell whether they will build the right mix, or will even be allowed by the city to build the right mix. One such mix is being constructed to replace the Yellowhead Inn. That mix not only has stand alone retail/restaurants, but also commercial office space. It will be interesting to see if Pine Centre will eventually add office space, or even higher density residential space, which has been done with other such developments. Won’t the DBIA be surprised should that happen?

The good news is, compared to other slow growing urban centres, Prince George is doing relatively well. The main problem we have is the CBD, a problem many cities have solved some time ago. It is time we got on with doing the same here. There are plenty of successful examples.

Now, as for the box stores, what will become of them? Toys R Us, for instance, has had major closures. WalMarts in Texas and Quebec have closed due to unionization efforts. Even the biggest empire is vulnerable and a shift there will send the entire retail industry to re-examine itself. Anyone for cheap senior recreation centres? Indoor lawn bowling perhaps?
;-)

I think the mall at 15th and central is going to be highly successful and almost have the makings of a small town center.

I think the Hart mall is long over due for a major overhaul involving the mall itself, as well as the city infrastructure surrounding it. I think a TARGET outlet in the Hart along with a movie theater complex possibly a pool hall and a beer store would strengthen that community power center as a great base for competing with other centers of the city.

The Hart mall is especially relevant considering the possibility of a new fiber board palnt going up in the neighborhood employing a couple of hundred direrctly and few thousand inddirectly. Also the servicing of the large number of shoppers from the North is a big draw competing ultimately with Grand Prarrie.