锦绣中华-Splendid China, 太古广场-Pacific Mall, 城市广场-Market Village Mall
Pacific Mall
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Pacific Mall (Chinese: 太古廣場), commonly referred to as P-Mall or Pac Mall by locals, is a shopping centre located in Markham, Ontario, Canada. It is located on the northeast side of Steeles Avenue and Kennedy Road, right across the municipal border from the City of Toronto. It is located on the site formerly occupied by Cullen Country Barns. Designed by Wallman Clewes Bergman Architects, their first proposal was modified by the aesthetic expectations of the Town of Markham. Pacific Mall first opened its doors for business in 1997. The Chinese name, “太古廣場”, is derived from Pacific Place in Hong Kong.
Pacific Mall is the largest indoor Chinese mall in North America and the largest retail commercial condominium in the Greater Toronto Area. It is located in Markham, Ontario, a town in York Region, where around 35% of the population is of Chinese descent. Pacific mall is a very popular location for Chinese and other Asian shoppers. On Christmas Day it even attracts a large pocket of non-Asian crowds and/or non-GTA visitors.
Pacific Mall is an Asian-Canadian shopping attraction that incorporates a traditional Pacific-style market. This Chinese shopping centre has over 450 mini-shops selling a large variety of retail goods, as well as specialties such as herbs and ginseng, prepared Chinese foods and entertainment. Along with Chinese fashions, herbs, flowers, accessories, CDs, DVDs, audio hi-fi, cell phones, prescription eyeglasses and sunglasses, housewares and other interesting items, there are many shops that sell Japanese toys and stationery. It is also a well-known place for computer and car enthusiasts alike. Also, there are a wide variety of places to eat and drink bubble tea in the mall. Pacific Mall is surrounded by a shopping complex, including Market Village Mall, encompassing over 500 stores and is served by both indoor and outdoor parking areas with over 1,500 parking spaces combined.
As an official Canadian Tourist Attraction, the mall is open year-round including statutory holidays. Pacific Mall also hosts festivals and celebrations for the community.
Problems and Concerns
Pacific Mall and neighbouring Chinese malls are known for their proliferation of pirated DVDs. In May 2005, over $800,000 worth of pirated DVDs were seized by the RCMP. However, in May 2006, the Toronto Star found that the previous raids had done little to stem the tide of pirated DVDs.[1] There are currently 10 stores in Pacific mall that sells such pirated DVDs (Number is growing quite rapidly).
On July 13, 2006, the RCMP once again raided a number of stores in the Pacific Mall and other locations associated to the manufacture of counterfeit software, seizing a large quantity of games and shutting down a major illicit software manufacturing facility.[2]
The mall is also a major contributor to traffic congestion in the area and many accidents occur in the Pacific Mall’s parking lot due mainly to people not following right of way laws at stop signs. Unlike most other malls which were planned with increased amounts of traffic projected in the future, Pacific Mall lacks the infrastructure to deal with its large amount of traffic. It is not uncommon on a Saturday afternoon for all parking spots immediately surrounding the mall to be occupied, which can be frustrating for drivers who are inexperienced in navigating the Pacific Mall area. The road layout of the mall was never intended to handle the volume of traffic it does today. Furthermore, because Steeles Ave is a major road spanning across Toronto, Pacific Mall contributes to the already large volume of traffic in the area. The stretch of road between Kennedy and Midland, contain the majority of stores, is extremely slow moving. Recently the municipality had lengthened left-turn lanes, added islands, and installed additional traffic lights.
Future Expansion
On June 30, 2006, Pacific Mall and Market Village announced plans for a major expansion to the south shopping complex in south Markham. An additional 400,000 square feet of retail space, a luxury hotel and a multi-level parking structure is to be constructed. The project is expected to begin in a year or two, and would bring the combined size of the malls to about one million square feet.[3]
The expansion is necessary to compete with the new rival mall Splendid China Tower on the opposite side of Steeles Avenue East.
Market Village Mall
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Market Village Mall is a Chinese themed mall in Markham, Ontario at the corner of Steeles Avenue and Kennedy Road and is one of the largest Chinese malls in Toronto and in North America[citation needed] with 325,000 square feet of retail space and over 170 stores.
Built by Cedarland Properties Limited in 1990, it attempts to mirror and mimic a rural town, the northwest and southeast facades feature barn like and farm house designs. The mall was built as a retail addition to the Cullen Country Barns located to the west side of the new mall.
However, the new tenants of the mall were (an still are) mainly catering to Chinese clientle and attracted few non-Chinese shoppers in the early years. Some parts of the south side of the mall was enclosed in 1995. Many of the original tenants have left and in their place new stores reflecting the retail trends within the Chinese community in the Greater Toronto Area.
The mall was threatened with new competition by the newer Pacific Mall, but the two malls have co-existed as a joint retail mecca.
Tenants
Most stores are family run stores, but there are a few non-Chinese retailers and some stores with links to Hong Kong. Some stores have been targetted by the RCMP for selling counterfeit DVDs and CDs.
Future Expansion
On June 15, 2006, Pacific Mall and Market Village announced plans for a major expansion to the south shopping complex in south Markham. An additional 400,000 square feet of retail space, a luxury hotel and a multi-level parking structure is to be built. The project is expected to begin in a year or two, and would bring the combined size of the two malls to about 1 million square feet.
Splendid China Tower
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Splendid China Tower is the newest Chinese-themed retail condominium in Toronto and completed in Feburary 2007. Built from the shell of the former Canadian Tire store built in the 1990s, the three-storey, 500-store mall complex is designed to mimic the malls found in Hong Kong and southern China. The mall is part of a commercial and retail complex, which will include a hotel. It is across Steeles Avenue from Pacific Mall.
Tenants
Most tenants are small Asian stores, but there are a few non-Asian retailers in the mall. It is also noted that there is a Chinese themed restaurant called “Hi Shanghai”.
