Victoriaville Centre (Thunder Bay, ON) - to be demolished in 2024 (now 2025)

[@datchicray]

Always thought this mall was so cool and unique inside. It’s a shame. The neighborhood is super rough. There’s always sketchy people hanging outside the doors on the bargain shop entrance.

[@BrowithStoryCool]

Agreed, a gritty vibe or whatever. Building the mall decades ago might have destroyed the neighbourhood, doubt it'll fix it now, maybe

[@datchicray]

@@BrowithStoryCool I doubt it. It’ll just make the neighborhood uglier and sadder as they’ll probably just leave a giant empty space there for many years.

[@liquididentity101]

It's about 3 blocks to a large shelter house and another block to a semi permanent homeless encampment. It's very close to two low income neighborhoods and a hub for bus traffic. Its become a place to shelter/loiter indoors especially in winter. Victoriaville transitioned from a mainly retail mall to almost all office and non-retail business space. Intercity has made these archaic mall spaces unnecessary.

[@rosengren2005]

I loved this mall! Grandmother owned an underwear store for 10 years! It was a wonderful childhood playground:)

[@ashfiabrar4394]

As a Thunder Bay resident, I’m delighted to see content reflecting our city on KZbin!

[@mollyheffernen]

Thank you for filming! I sure enjoyed this video. Mall history is interesting in both the U.S. and Canada.

[@YodelingLoonRetail]

Yeah, it was fun visiting and learning about Canadian retail. I'll also have stories about food I DID eat in upcoming videos. :)

[@ReconDaemon]

I used to skip school and eat my Robin Donuts or pizza from New York Subway on that taped off mezzanine. New York Subway (now NYS) moved just outside the mall on Brodie St. Definitely recommend if you find yourself back up here in the future!

[@YodelingLoonRetail]

Thanks for the stories and recommendations! I don't have any plans to return soon, but maybe next time I'm in Grand Marais, I can convince my wife to cross the border for some food. I didn't mention it in my videos, but I really enjoyed the sharma at Osmow's.

[@mrmike9793]

Wow - never thought I'd see the inside of this place again. I grew up in Thunder Bay (moved away years ago.) Spent a lot of time in "Vic Ville" as a child and as a teenager. Worked at Quality Market in Centennial Square for a while and would take my breaks in the mall - usually a coffee at the Robins Donuts. There was an awesome sandwich shop in there called New York Subway. It looked very different back then. Simpler time... thanks for this.

[@TheTransitCamera]

Nice video! I visited this mall and got photos of it back in Sep. 2018. Assuming the Code of Conduct posters at the entrances are the same they specifically note 'photographing or videotaping the interior or exterior of the mall for commercial purposes is prohibited without consent of management.' So I assume that to mean personal/non-commercial documenting is indeed permitted. Not surprising to see the Robins Donuts closed, but also a shame as it looked pretty retro. As others have mentioned security is definitely extra heavy in the Thunder Bay region due to the opioid and homeless issues. Vic Ville was pretty sketchy in 2018 so I imagine it hasn't gotten any better. I remember a couple spots around the mall I wanted to get photos of, but didn't because there were so many folks just loitering. I didn't want anyone flipping out thinking I was taking their photo.

[@YodelingLoonRetail]

I never read those posters unless I'm at a mall where I feel comfortable hanging out versus being in mall-walker mode. Thank for watching and enjoying my video! I believe this is your Flickr page: www.flickr.com/photos/thetransitcamera/albums/72157702055177605/with/30238652077 I'm looking at your Victoriaville photos now and they're gorgeous.

[@devilpantsu]

I was a kid in Thunder Bay in the late 80s to the mid 90s and buddy lemme tell ya, that area was sketchy back then too. Maybe not quite as empty, but still sketchy.

[@douglashryniuk1346]

I used to work as a cleaner at Rene Larson Law Office from October 2016 to April 2018. So naturally I'd come through the mall to get to work. I'm glad Victoriaville Centre is getting demolished. Walking through that mall was like walking through a graveyard. Plus its roof was always leaking.

[@V3ryan]

I live about a ten minute walk from this mall. I recall walking through it this past year and the Daryl Hall & John Oates song was playing with the lyrics, "You're outta touch, you're outta time." was playing. I figured it fit very well. An old dying mall from a bygone era.

[@YodelingLoonRetail]

I love it! I don’t recall any music playing while I was there.

[@theretailadv]

Brandon, fantastic video. You nailed all the details of downtown malls, especially Thunder Bay, which in itself has a very odd history. It reminds me of other downtown malls in Ontario that were part of the Ontario Downtown Revitalization Project of the late 80s and 90s. When you mentioned the taxes to break even I chuckled ! Happened at so many other family downtown malls in Ontario. Also, welcome to mall security in Canada. It is some of the worst around. Some of these dead malls have way too many. When I went to Hamilton City Centre (which also is in a horrible area crimewise) there were 50 people and 7 guards. Just unreal. Keep it up fellow DMOD.

[@YodelingLoonRetail]

Thank you so much! If I win the lottery, I’ll film southern and eastern Ontario, but my next trip would be Winnipeg. I had to go to Dryden to find malls without security.

[@steffersonairplane]

As a kid of the late 80s and 90s, Victoriaville was already on its downhill slide, but for a time Science North operated out of the upper mezzanine, and then TBPL had its used book store up there afterwards, both of which were total gems for us kids, same with Santa at Christmas in the center of the mall. I wonder what will become of the Thunder Bay Walk of Fame "stars" in the mall floor... I used to walk through Victoriaville to get from my high school (FWCI, closed/condemned) to the old bus terminal, stopping for a treat from Robin's Donuts some days. Thanks kindly for the memories

[@l.5832]

The reason malls fail is they are all the SAME! I live on Vancouver Island, BC and the floor on this mall is the very same floor as what Woodgrove Centre has in Nanaimo. They are all the same!

[@m_butterfly2]

Am a seasonal worker here, had the chance to see this place just last month and feel lucky I did. It could be such a cool place... really too bad it went so wrong.

[@charlestonpinballarcade]

This mall is awesomely different! It looks a bit of Witch City Mall and Kings Point! It’s got that “county municipal offices” vibe.

[@allent7118]

Great video!!! Sorry I missed the premiere

[@YodelingLoonRetail]

I'm glad you enjoyed it!

[@Oilers1972]

Once again a great vid of our malls. “Vic Ville” as we call it in ThunderBay is visually a really nice mall. Never understood aside from location, why it flopped. I should mention Keskus in the 80s and early 90s was a great mall. Can find commercials for it on KZbin. If I wasn’t at Country Fair I spent every Saturday in the 80s at Keskus. My best friend’s parents had a Chinese food restaurant right next to the mall so we hung out at Keskus while the parents prepped for the night. Had a inclosed walking bridge that crossed Red River Road and it was known as the “Christmas Mall” in the 80s because of the elaborate decorating and the atmosphere. Also had a very cool multiple layer parkade big enough that no one had to park outside. Great for Xmas shopping during a snowfall and come out to a clean car.

[@YodelingLoonRetail]

Thanks for sharing your stories! I have seen those commercials and am sad I didn’t get to see Keskus.

[@ronbaglien1924]

it actually crossed Park St not RRR, my mom worked in doodles restaurant.

[@djhsilver]

The opioid crisis has his Thunder Bay super hard, so almost all public spaces have security or get locked really early. It's worse here than almost anywhere else in Ontario, and since we're a backwater, the issue goes unaddressed.

[@3Black.1Red]

So retro and spacious. Feels like I was walking through a dream.

[@YodelingLoonRetail]

I'm glad you enjoyed it!

[@koro_kokoro]

that space up the stairs was a youth science center before it was a martial arts studio, they had summer programs there

[@YodelingLoonRetail]

That’s cool! Thanks for sharing.

[@ronbaglien1924]

It started out as a Library. i use to read there in my kid days

[@keithpodhradsky1314]

I used to have a friend who worked her dad's gift place in TB in 1974 or so. I can tell you the rivalry between both sides of town was so intense that they used to tell Fort William kids to flush the toilets because "Port Arthur needs the water". Later lived in Toronto for 5 years, so if any memories come up of any of the Towne Centres on the eastern side of there or Pickering, I would love to join the convo as I was there from 86-91. I remember when Promenade opened in Vaughan. I remember Upper Canada in Newmarket. Good of you not to mention the dripping roof at this mall per the numerous buckets. Usually a sure sign of pending demolition.

[@YodelingLoonRetail]

Wow! I didn’t know the rivalry was that strong! I visited Toronto in 2017 and loved it. I didn’t have a car, so no dead malls then. 😄

[@TinaMcCallum]

You are incorrect about the theater … it was down at the end of that stretch, not to the rigjt like you said. To the right was a hallmark store, Hamms optical, a few other stores and then I believe tbaytel or bell at the end of that stretch was the theater closer to the doors that are by Renco foods

[@YodelingLoonRetail]

Thank you for the correction!

[@ronbaglien1924]

Yeah, that was Cinema 8, Cinema 5 was in Port Arthur (where I was Born) it had cinema 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and FW had Cinema 6, 7, 8. watched a lot of movies in those theaters.

[@koro_kokoro]

many of the older folk in town would tell you this mall was called a bad idea since day 1

[@YodelingLoonRetail]

Yeah, I read that. It’s cool to visit old malls, but sad to know they only exist become people wouldn’t listen to reason.

[@Ridiculous_Retail]

You went to TBay! I hope you had time to stop in the Twin Ports on the way (or on the way back). I'd like to see your take on my local malls.

[@YodelingLoonRetail]

Is Twin Ports that last stop before the border? I used the restroom there. I returned to Miller Hiller Hill and also filmed Burning Tree Plazaz

[@TheMallFox]

Great video, im glad you didnt find out what the guy following you wanted. Could have ended very bad

[@YodelingLoonRetail]

My biggest fear was some crazy security guard calling the police and then being banned from Canada. It's probably unlikely, but I didn't want to become a cautionary tale.

[@SugarandSarcasm]

Definite problem with addictions and theft around the area. Homelessness is also a major problem and I hope these issues can be addressed soon instead of worrying about having to drive around a building tbh.

[@jakesawesomevids7908]

I like your videos good job :)

[@YodelingLoonRetail]

Thank you very much!

[@jakesawesomevids7908]

@@YodelingLoonRetail no mate :)

[@jasonmartinson7758]

Wow! Cool look into Canada But man, security of a lot of malls don’t want their stuff filmed

[@YodelingLoonRetail]

From what I've read from locals, security is in a lot of the Thunder Bay malls to kick out people who are doing much worse things than filming malls.

[@WorldT]

thanks on sharing, good video, but one question did you use any AI for your. video?

[@boeing_RBLX]

Ain't often you see colored ceiling tiles, gives it a lot of good character

[@SuperBuickregal]

Hello Brandon, what mall had the Bowling Alley in it and the sealed off basement section? Keep em Rolling!

[@YodelingLoonRetail]

That would be Merle Hay in Des Moines, IA.

[@SuperBuickregal]

@@YodelingLoonRetail Thanks, I found that very intriguing.

[@ronbaglien1924]

Feel free to video and or take pictures, no one can stop you. I am an ex security guard of 12years and almost every guard is uneducated in actual laws. on public property Like a mall, videos and pictures are allowed. Private property on the other hand, you have to have and I prefer written authorization form the owner/ property Manager.

[@bigbjorn7739]

The Cineplex was down on the very end of that long hallway you are walking down not on the right

[@YodelingLoonRetail]

Thank you for the correction. I didn't go all the way down there, because people were loitering.

[@bigbjorn7739]

@@YodelingLoonRetail I really like the video you did on county fair it's really sad seeing the inside of that mall when I was a kid that mall was super busy

[@bigbjorn7739]

@@YodelingLoonRetail I want to find information out on the old outdoor Mall that stood before intercity ,old zellers there was also a loblaws consumers distributing la Paloma beauty Salon etc would love to see pictures of that again my mother was friends with everybody at Woolworths

[@TheVintageSpacesChannel]

chill place 😎 except for creepy dude

[@YodelingLoonRetail]

If I weren't documenting the place, I would have come back for lunch.

[@charlestonpinballarcade]

Any which way you can! Right turn Clyde! 🦧😂

[@YodelingLoonRetail]

HA! I love the orangutan emoji!