Shops at Don Mills

The Shops at Don Mills is a lifestyle centre - type shopping centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located at Don Mills Road and Lawrence Avenue East in the former city of North York. There are 72 retail stores with a total floor space of 47,550 square metres .CharacterStorefronts face a network of private internal streets, and the centre layout is centred on a square which includes interpretive historical plaques and commissioned art by Douglas Coupland. The layout is similar to a regular neighbourhood retail strip. Anchors include McEwans Gourmet Market, Anthropologie, Joey's west coast restaurant, and other shops and restaurants. Parking along the internal streets is limited but a multi-level parkade is located on site.HistoryThe centre is located on the site of the demolished Don Mills Centre shopping mall, which was part of the original development of the planned suburb of Don Mills. 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.