Old Blockbuster store to become Dollarama

Martin of the Junction Residents Association emailed the blog tonight about a new sign application for 2890 Dundas ST W the originality built as an S.S. Kresge store which ran there for many years.

 

 

This author is wondering if they plan to use the entire store area, Blockbuster did not. This is a wonderful building with an intriguing and warren like basement with a central wall down the middle supporting the cast iron support poles on the 1st floor.

Strangely the Junction always keeps its own, as Dollarama can be viewed as  the new five and dime type of store that the  S.S. Kresge stores were.

I cannot help but think this author should go and apply for a stock person job at Dollarama, as my 1st job was in this S.S. Kresge store as a stock boy they called us by that title.

 

 

 

45 Comments

Well, there's certainly no shortage of Dollarama around here now. Landowne south of Dupont, another new one going into the Crossways at Bloor-Dundas (into former drugstore and clinic space), and now this one.

Good news! I was hoping this might happen. The Junction needs a good dollar store and Dollarama is a good store. And they can hold its own against even Wal-Mart as you can see at St.Clair & Runnymede. My only concern is with parking although it will likely have a lot of walk in especially from the new Heintzman Place high rise. Not enough parking around the store, although there is more on Mavety now that the cop shop is gone. Wonder what will happen with the office space above the store? It has not been used in decades. This was once the area management offices for Kresge.

BTW the LCBO looked at the location too!

Why? It's a dump as are most of the others in the Junction. Dollarama is a first rate chain something badly needed in the Junction in other catagories as well.

I think Dollarama is kind of nasty, and it will be such a huge green monster, like in Parkdale, although I like the bargains, and its good to have a place to run out to get cheap things like wrapping paper, napkins etc…..I am glad the LCBO won't be moving in, it tends to become a hub for some desperate characters (ex: Bloor and Ossington, Queen and Brock)

Nasty? What do you mean? Dollarama stores are always clean and sell good name brand products at affordable prices unlike the crap sold in most local stores. They provide jobs and pay taxes to the city. What more do you want?

Raymond you are correct. I guess I meant the family that works (owns?)The place. Nice couple with a nice little kid.that being said, yes, better quality, cleaner, good addition to the street.

I would have preferred a LCBO over another Dollar store any day. If the Junction wants to continue to grow and attract more affluent people it will have to attract store that affluent people want to shop in, the Dollarama sets the Junction back. Sad news indeed.

Roger you don't know what you're talking about. There are Dollaramas all over the city and in affluent neighbourhoods such as BAY STREET! This time next year you'll be screaming about gentrification and how the rich people chains are ruining the neighbourhood.
You know what affluent people DON'T like? Empty store fronts!!

Mary ….uh SP, do you really need so many ! marks, I can help you with the use of ventricular expressions, rhetorical comments and didactic argument if you wish.

🙂 that a joke well most of it, too many ! marks.

P.S. I have never written a CV, 12 years of art/craft and art theory makes one unemployable, yet thanks for the kind offer.

2 in a row IS too many I know it's a joke but even the joke you wrote is full of errors. "that a joke" and the endless commas is pretty funny to me. Do what ever you like as it's your blog. Just understand that your credibility and the respect people have for this blog would go up if you put more effort into the writing.

A for effort on your response bub.

Dollarama is a useful store for people of any income, except those pretentious enough to dismiss is by label and then go buy the same generic napkins at a Loblaws for 3x the price. But they usually don't invest in the look of their stores and tend to look generic and suburban, which isn't good in a historic area with its share of fine architecture and design.

Completely agree. The Junction has gotten somewhere in the last decade because it started "facing" south towards High Park, rather than north to York South-Weston, where it had been wasting it's time. This is Back-To-The-Future in a very negative way.

If you want York South-Weston type retail and "entertainment",… go to York South-Weston…

Sorry Mary but you're the one who doesn't know what you are talking about. Comparing diversified, intensified Bay Street to neighbourhoods like The Junction? Empty store fronts are what you had before the retail/entertainment crowd along Dundas West started looking south to the High Park Crowd for $$$. Dollarama won't bring them up along High Park Ave.

Chill out, I just think its an ugly store. I wasn't making any accusations about tax evasion. I'll happily shop there. I always go to the Dollarama with my mom when I am at her place and we need stuff.

Dollarama is a closed in style of layout that can be deemed to look a bit ugly inside, although the Blockbuster was ugly too inside a combination of its own style and having striped out most of the beauty the SS Kresge store had, although much of the great retail architectural was ripped out by the Kresge company in the late 70's and early 80's.

But has not the entire discount store type moved to stark interiors and in-store stocking to service there customers with the prices they want, take a trip to Buffalo to visit a Big Lots store, and you see how it too has adapted to the current market. Locally look at the business model of Loblaws and it's Ni Frills subsidiary, to look like a Loblaws store you have to charge Loblaws prices.

How exactly did it find "face" York South-Weston, which is an electoral division that includes part of the neighbourhood? For many years at the end of the 20th century, Dundas was characterized by empty storefronts, drawing few people from anywhere. Revitalization happened not because some people from High Park started to visit, but because the ancient prohibition law was repealed, a BIA grew and increased the neighbourhood's profile with streetscape improvements and a great annual arts festival, creative entrepreneurs took a chance and started up interesting businesses which got city-wide attention and even that of the New York Times, and more middle class individuals moved. Some older residents got involved after getting to used what had become an inconsequential dead zone. It also helped that the previous mayoral administration promoted transit, walkable infrastructure, BIAs, and streetscape improvements. That renewed interest in walkable, historic areas.

It "faced" the York South-Weston area in that it appealed (if to anyone) to the lower income earners there… dollar stores…donut shops…not the creme-de-la-creme, was it?…

" Revitalization happened not because some people from High Park started to visit, but because the ancient prohibition law was repealed, a BIA grew and increased the neighbourhood’s profile with streetscape improvements and a great annual arts festival, creative entrepreneurs took a chance and started up interesting businesses which got city-wide attention and even that of the New York Times, and more middle class individuals moved."

And those "middle class individuals" types live SOUTH of Dundas West In the High Park-Runnymede corridor and would other wise have headed down to the Bloor West Village, like we used to…instead of going north like we do now. That's who is being drawn into the area. "Tourists" show up for a few special events but most are traversing week in and week out from the area immediately to the south…

Take a look at the Vietnamese restaurant on Pacific, south of Dundas – 4 or 5 years ago they closed down, ripped the place down to the studs and re-opened in a shiny new venue – who do you see sitting in there? The High Park crowd!… not the few who where wandering in from the north like before. Get it?

When I say they "faced" York South-Weston, I mean they appealed, if any of the few places open did (yes, many closed store-fronts) to a populace that makes, on a median average, about $30,000 less per household than Ward 13…where the money is.

You do remember that the argument is what the (sigh) Dollarama "brings" to the neighbourhood? It will not bring in the High Park crowd…that's my point….back to the future.

I will say, though…the old Blockbuster space is quite large…Junction has enough large furniture/antique showrooms…unless massively subdivided, it's a hard space to find a tenant for and an empty store front is worse in the long run…just wish there was a higher end option available…and yes, LCBO is a higher end option if you have a nice Vintages selection.

I was hoping for something a little more exciting than a Dollarama. I think it's a step backwards at the moment. I don't think the area has come far enough just yet. I go to the one on St. Clair, but I don't think I want one in my neighbourhood at the moment.

The area doesn't need another big chain retail store. It needs more interesting store fronts/stores. A Dollarama might be good for business owners in the area, but it won't do much to increase the property value of homes in the area. I wouldn't buy a home in the area just because it has a Dollarama. In fact, I just moved into the area because it had a lot of intresting stores that I can't find anywhere else, or at least not in many areas around the city (ie. Delight, Junction Fromagerie, Pandemonium, Mjolk, Bunners). I like shopping at Dollarama, I just don't necessarily want one in my hood.

P.S. Let me clarify that when I say good for business owners I'm not talking about the owners of other similar types of stores, I mean business owners in general.

Great! I was very depressed whenI heard a Dollar store was moving in. The Junction is getting a great reputation as an independent store area with interesting stores at a mix of price points. A huge dollar store chain would set things back 10 years.

I agree with the daycare or kids services space – or a green grocer like Fresh and Wild. Anything but a low-end chain please!

sm says
Thank God no Dollarama the junction is way better off without one. It would have ruined the overall feeling the junction is striving for and achieving

I agree with the hope that the news is true that there is no Dollarama in the heart of the Junction. A big difference between the Junction and Leslieville is that the Junction really needs some more good restaurants like Leslieville.Most of the best restaurants are more take-out establishments with very good food but they are still mainly take-out establishments.. The good news is 3030 recently opened which is a great live music/restaurant addition to the area and Gabby's is opening next month. Gabbys may be a chain but still it's good for the area – and our real estate values vs. Dollarama – people can decide what they want to support or not.the area was dry for almost a century but I think a few restaurants and bars could help the area -but not go overboard like ossington

I agree with the hope that the news is true that there is no Dollarama in the heart of the Junction. A big difference between the Junction and Leslieville is that the Junction really needs some more good restaurants like Leslieville.Most of the best restaurants are more take-out establishments with very good food but they are still mainly take-out establishments.. The good news is 3030 recently opened which is a great live music/restaurant addition to the area and Gabby's is opening next month. Gabbys may be a chain but still it's good for the area – and our real estate values vs. Dollarama – people can decide what they want to support or not..

I agree with the hope that the news is true that there is no Dollarama in the heart of the Junction. A big difference between the Junction and Leslieville is that the Junction really needs some more good restaurants like Leslieville.Most of the best restaurants are more take-out establishments with very good food but they are still mainly take-out establishments.. The good news is 3030 recently opened which is a great live music/restaurant addition to the area and Gabby's may be a chain but still it's good for the area – and our real estate values vs. Dollarama..

A big difference between the Junction and Leslieville is that the Junction really needs some more good restaurants like Leslieville.Most of the best restaurants are more take-out establishments with very good food but they are still mainly take-out establishments.. The good news is 3030 recently opened which is a great live music/restaurant addition to the area and Gabby's may be a chain but still it's good for the area – and our real estate values vs. Dollarama..

A big difference between the Junction and Leslieville is that the Junction really needs some more good restaurants like Leslieville.Most of the best restaurants are more take-out establishments with very good food but they are still mainly take-out establishments..

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