The Shops at Don Mills (corporately known as CF Shops at Don Mills) is a lifestyle centre-type

shopping centre A shopping center in American English, shopping centre in English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English (see American and British English spelling differences#-re, -er, spelling differences), shopping complex, shopping arcade, ...

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, Canada, located at Don Mills Road and

Lawrence Avenue East Lawrence Avenue is a major east–west thoroughfare in Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is divided into east and west portions (Lawrence Avenue East and Lawrence Avenue West) by Yonge Street, the dividing line of east–west streets in Toront ...

. There are 72 retail stores with a total floor space of 47,550 square metres (or 511,824 square feet).

Cadillac Fairview The Cadillac Fairview Corporation Limited, branded as Cadillac Fairview, is a Canadian company that invests in, owns, and manages commercial real estate, mainly in Canada and the United States. As of March 2017, the company had 73 properties, enco ...

is the owner and manager of the shopping centre.

Character

Storefronts face a network of private internal streets centred on a square which includes a clock tower, a fountain and interpretive historical plaques about the neighbourhood. The layout is similar to a regular neighbourhood retail area. On-site parking is available along the internal streets, in surface lots along the east side of the shopping centre and within a multi-level parkade at the west side. Prominent tenants (with floor space) include: McEwan Fine Foods (22,000 sq ft),

Anthropologie Anthropologie is an Economy of the United States, American retailer operating in the U.S., Canada, France, Germany and the UK that sells clothing, jewelry, home furniture, decorations, beauty products, and gifts. Anthropologie is part of Urban ...

(7,000 sq ft), and Eataly (9,800 sq ft). The clock tower in the square is an artwork by

Douglas Coupland Douglas Coupland (born 30 December 1961) is a Canadian novelist, designer and visual artist. His first novel, the 1991 international bestseller '' Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture'', popularized the terms Generation X and McJob. He ...

. The top of the tower sports a cluster of miniature houses, evocative of housing development in the Don Mills area. A piece of wall-art is displayed on the Lawrence Avenue side; it was preserved following the demolition of a nearby 1962 Eatons department store building. Cadillac Fairview is promoting condominium buildings adjacent to Shops at Don Mills. These are being developed by FRAM Building Group and Lanterra Developments. A park and public spaces are also to be included in the community as part of Cadillac Fairview's master plan.

History

The centre is located on the site of the demolished Don Mills Centre shopping mall. Increased competition from other shopping malls and the closure of main anchor tenant T. Eaton Co. meant declines in mall revenues and the exodus of many fashion retailers. The mall owner, developer Cadillac Fairview, decided to redevelop the site in 2003 to attract more up-scale retailers and shoppers, without a main anchor tenant. The developer proposed to demolish the indoor shopping mall and replace it with an open-air setting, along with an intensification of the site. The intensification meant the construction of a parking garage to replace the large surface parking lot. The development also included using Centre lands for new residential buildings. After community consultation, the plan was approved by the City of Toronto and the development proceeded. The Shops at Don Mills opened on April 22, 2009. McNally Robinson, a Canadian book-selling chain, was one of the first tenants, but the chain later decided to close the location in 2009, the same year it opened, due to a bankruptcy restructuring. The store had of retail space including an 80-seat restaurant. On August 15, 2014, Cineplex VIP Cinemas Don Mills opened at the Shops at Don Mills. It has five auditoriums with a combined capacity of 500 seats. In August 2017, Shops at Don Mills completed a $21 million renovation, improving on accessibility, the outdoor setting and summer programming. On May 30, 2024, Eataly opened its third location in Toronto within the shopping centre. The

food hall A food hall is a large standalone location or department store section where food and drinks are sold. Overview Unlike food courts made up of fast food chains, food halls typically mix local artisan restaurants, butcher shops and other food- ...

occupies two retail spaces having a combined area of almost .

Street names

A number of roads and driveways located in the development are named after prominent community members of the Don Mills area: * Clock Tower Road - named to identify the location of the Clock Tower at the corner of the Town Square. * Aggie Hogg Gardens - named for former resident, storekeeper, postmaster and daughter of settler John Hogg * O'Neill Road - named for local settler James O'Neill (arrived 1845) * Karl Fraser Road - Karl Fraser, first CEO of Don Mills Development and assistant to developer E.P. Taylor * Leadly Lane - named for local settler Allison Leadley (arrived 1850) * Pabst Lane - named for local settler Rudolph Pabst (arrived 1814) * Marie Labatte Road - named for former North York Councillor for Ward 10 and Metro Councillor for Don Parkway Marie Labatte (1925–2004) * Sampson Mews - named for local settler James Sampson (arrived 1838) * Maginn Mews - named for merchant, school trustee and politician Charles Maginn (arrived 1841)

References

External links

Official site
{{Cadillac Fairview Shopping malls established in 2009 Shopping malls in Toronto North York Lifestyle centers (retail) Cadillac Fairview