February 17, 2016 · 0 Comments
Crafters, scrapbookers, and other hobbyists beware — it won’t be long before your paycheque disappears on the many supplies found at Michaels Canada, as the store chain has announced it will be opening in Orangeville.
In a press release sent out yesterday by OneReit, the landlord for the Orangeville Mall, it was announced that they had entered into a lease agreement to bring a Michaels store to the mall.
Michaels, which bills itself as Canada’s largest specialty retailer of arts, crafts, framing, floral, wall decor, scrapbooking and much more, will occupy 19,000 square feet, and has a 10-year lease term, with the ability to renew towards the end of that period.
“We are pleased to welcome a strong retailer such as Michaels to the Orangeville mall that will serve the community well,” said Richard Michaeloff, OneREIT’s CEO, in the press release.
While the large retail space at the end of the mall was left vacant following the mass closure of Zellers stores, two of the three ‘divisions’ in the large space were filled by SportChek and HomeSense in 2014.
The remaining portion of the former Zellers has remained vacant, Michaels will take over the space in the fall of 2016.
The Orangeville Mall has been a point of contention with many Orangeville residents, as some of the more popular stores (including Claire’s, Ardene and Reitman’s) closed over the last few years for various reasons.
Built in the 1970s, the mall has struggled to become a shopping destination over the years, but OneREIT has been working to increase the mall’s viability as a point of interest.
“The addition of Michaels will enhance our tenant mix at Orangeville Mall and improve our position within the marketplace,” added Mr. Michaeloff.
Prior to this announcement, fans of Michaels stores had to travel to Brampton or Barrie to shop at the craft superstore.
But as the announcement that Michaels will be coming in broke, Tootsies Shoe Market in the Orangeville Mall has launched a going-out-of-business sale.