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So, Woodbine has an official twitter account which is (surprisingly) active. One such nugget I found was pics of the re-opened arcade in the Fantasy Fair:

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Gone are the 80's and 90's arcade cabinets of yesteryear.

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I won't lie, I'd probably give this giant version of Space Invaders a play or two. Reminds me of the giant Pac-Man game in STC's
Cineplex Odeon arcade.

For more news/pics. Here's Woodbine's twitter account:
 
Found this older photo on twitter. The poster said it was taken in 1986 (the quality sure looks like it)
looking out of the window of Hudson's Bay at the Woodbine Center.

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Correct me if I'm wrong, but Fortinos didn't move from the Albion Mall to Queens Plate Drive until the early 2000's.
 
That Fortinos was not there in 1986. I'm not even sure Fortinos was in the GTA yet (or owned by Loblaws at that point either).

It was purchased by Loblaws in 1988. It was already in Brampton by then (at the Clarence Mall on Kennedy Road), but it then replaced the Loblaws brand in Brampton (the Main/Vodden location switched banners by 1990, later becoming No Frills) as well as in Hamilton, Burlington, north Etobicoke, and Woodbridge.
 
The MODERN ERA of Woodbine Mall (2021) They couldn't EVEN paint the drywall (Milk White) 😒 & WHERE IS THE EXPANSION! & MAGGINO"S, At least the (Malton mall) did a better renovation.

source
woodbine-centre-or-woodbine-mall-is-a-shopping-and-entertainment-complex-in-toronto-ontario-ca...jpg
 
A few recent interior shots of Maggiano's:

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Beautiful, Italian wall murals compliment the assortment of recliners lifted from Sears.

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Archaeologists believe these artifacts are remnants of a destroyed shelving unit and tabletop.

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More beautiful murals adorn the walls near the entrance. Strangely, I never knew Thomas The Tank Engine was Italian.

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Lounge area next to entrance.

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A look towards the back of Maggiano's. The desk in the right corner could have been the entrance to the kitchen.

1641379492465.png


Front entrance looking to the back. The table to the left was probably meant for staff to greet and seat customers.
Some of the kiddie kiosks at the back look like they were lifted from Zellers/the Woodbine hallways.
 
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More shots from my recent trip to the Woodbine Centre:

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On one of the coldest nights of the year (and with only five cars left in the parking lot before closing), I reached for my camera to begin taking a few,
quick exterior shots.

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Remember when the front entrance arcs were full of life?

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30 years since I last looked from this view: you can still access the upstairs observatory deck inside the Fantasy Fair.

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The 111 year old Loof Carousel as viewed from the Observatory Deck.

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Even the carousel horses had social distancing signs on them.

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Skids of boxes are piled next to Woodbine Cinema's accessibility ramp. Most of which were most likely sold off months ago during Imagine Cinema's
liquidation.
 
A few recent interior shots of Maggiano's:

View attachment 373069

Beautiful, Italian wall murals compliment the assortment of recliners lifted from Sears.

View attachment 373070

Archaeologists believe these artifacts are remnants of a destroyed shelving unit and tabletop.

View attachment 373071

More beautiful murals adorn the walls near the entrance. Strangely, I never knew Thomas The Tank Engine was Italian.

View attachment 373075

Lounge area next to entrance.

View attachment 373073

A look towards the back of Maggiano's. The desk in the right corner could have been the entrance to the kitchen.

View attachment 373074

Front entrance looking to the back. The table to the left was probably meant for staff to greet and seat customers.
Some of the kiddie kiosks at the back look like they were lifted from Zellers/the Woodbine hallways.

Looks more like a cheesy 90's Latin dance club than a restaurant...
 
Getting these pics for you guys came with some sacrifices. For one thing, it was the coldest night of the year (so far). For another thing,
my patience was definitely tested as a photographer that evening.

An hour before closing (and with five cars left in the parking lot on a weekday night), I stood in front of those old familiar arches to take
a few quick exterior shots. Even as a shadow of the mall's former self, the architectural design is still cool to look at. But I digress.

As I pulled out my camera, a woman in a parked vehicle nowhere near the entrance bluntly asked "can you move from there?!".
Her husband then made his way to their vehicle. Apparently, he was sent in to the mall to look for the Hudson's Bay just around the corner.

I shrugged and went on about my business.

Not 10 minutes later, one of the front doors pops open and a older woman begins talking noticeably loud. Without thinking anything of it, I just
assumed the woman was having an intense conversation on her phone. No big deal, I thought and continued snapping.

A minute or so later, the woman began walking through the parking lot to the bus stop on Highway 27 and Queens Plate. Wanting to take a few shots
from a distance, I walked a few steps in her direction when all of sudden, I make out an excited shout from her thick accent "He be followin' me now!".
It was only then that I realized that the woman wasn't having an aggressive phone conversation with a loved one. Just an aggressive, in person conversation
with her new favourite urban photographer: me.

As the woman trailed off into the distance, the woman's harsh words and excited tone followed soon behind her. Where she ventured off to that fine evening
and how many other photographers she interacted with I can't tell you.

And that's the story behind the recent exterior shots. Thanks for reading and drive safely.
 
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Getting these pics for you guys came with some sacrifices. For one thing, it was the coldest night of the year (so far). For another thing,
my patience was definitely tested as a photographer that evening.

An hour before closing (and with five cars left in the parking lot on a weekday night), I stood in front of those old familiar arches to take
a few quick exterior shots. Even as a shadow of the mall's former self, the architectural design is still cool to look at. But I digress.

As I pulled out my camera, a woman in a parked vehicle nowhere near the entrance bluntly asked "can you move from there?!".
Her husband then made his way to their vehicle. Apparently, he was sent in to the mall to look for the Hudson's Bay just around the corner.

I shrugged and went on about my business.

Not 10 minutes later, one of the front doors pops open and a older woman begins talking noticeably loud. Without thinking anything of it, I just
assumed the woman was having an intense conversation on her phone. No big deal, I thought and continued snapping.

A minute or so later, the woman began walking through the parking lot to the bus stop on Highway 27 and Queens Plate. Wanting to take a few shots
from a distance, I walked a few steps in her direction when all of sudden, I make out an excited shout from her thick accent "He be followin' me now!".
It was only then that I realized that the woman wasn't having an aggressive phone conversation with a loved one. Just an aggressive, in person conversation
with her new favourite urban photographer: me.

As the woman trailed off into the distance, the woman's harsh words and excited tone followed soon behind her. Where she ventured off to that fine evening
and how many other photographers she interacted with I can't tell you.

And that's the story behind the recent exterior shots. Thanks for reading and drive safely.
sounds like a grammy-winning story to me
 
I went to the mall last week and I was surprised with how busy the mall was for 3 pm on a Tuesday. it's a shame that the mall is dead. I feel that with a proper owner and well-planned redevelopment this mall could have survived.
 
going into fantasy talk.; if the backside of the mall was developed into condos I think it would have gone a long way to keep the mall afloat. I don't think the mall can attract 2 new anchors so the former Zellers location would be great to be demolished and instead have a hotel built into the mall on that location. A hotel would be perfect as it is near the airport and casino. As for the sears location; the upper floor would be great for a grocery store and the bottom floor can have expanded retail to connect to a future finch west lrt stop.



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