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How neighbourhood malls are struggling to survive

The ripple effects of the retail apocalypse that swept across the U.S. after the financial collapse of 2008 continue to emanate through Canada.

9 min to read
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five-points-mall

Interior photo of the Five Points Mall in Oshawa. As Francine Kopun reports, the enclosed part ofthe mall will be demolished.

Mohammed Polani remembers the days when Whitby Mall Shopping Centre was packed with people who would line up outside his store at 7 a.m. to buy newspapers and magazines.

They were educated and literate, with a wide variety of hobbies and interests — diverse enough that he could sell magazines with titles like Vintage Fire Truck and Equipment and Wrist Watch Magazine and the Harvard Business Review.

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Mohammed Polani, in his magazine store Daily Planet, at Whitby Mall Shopping Centre. He has owned the business for 23 years in two different locations in the mall. He has decided to close up shop at the end of his lease.

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Interior pictures of the Five Points Mall in Oshawa.

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Interior pictures of Pickering Town Centre.

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Maheswaran Arumujam, who operates Mr. Pro Prints, says the location at Whitby Mall works for his retail business.

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A common area inside of Whitby Mall Shopping Centre.

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Interior pictures of Kipling Queensway Mall.

Francine Kopun

Francine Kopun is a Toronto Star journalist and senior writer, based in Toronto. Follow her on Twitter: @KopunF

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