MOOSE JAW — A stroll through the Town ‘N’ Country Mall’s empty food court suggests that the mall’s best days are well behind it — but there’s a new development that may turn its fortunes around.
The Coral Kitchen and Vege World have confirmed their plans to set up business at the mall and both are expected to open their doors later this summer with a date to be determined. With David’s Diner now open for business, the mall’s dining area should have all three available spaces filled by the fall.
Jennilee Novak, the mall’s assistant property manager, said she’s happy with the new development.
“It’s kind of huge,” she said. “It has been almost 15 years since we’ve had a full food court (at the mall).”
The Town ‘N’ Country Mall has been a popular hangout spot with a heyday during the '80s and '90s. It continues to serve as Moose Jaw’s primary mall despite a recent trend toward plaza-type developments including the adjacent Civic Centre Plaza.
On Jan. 12, the mall’s ownership was transferred to the Pioneer Thinking Capital Corporation. The new owners have invested time and energy into planning the mall’s future and the now-stocked food court is one early result of this.
“It seems like whenever you talk to the tenants and the community, they’ve been asking for a full food court,” Novak said. “This has been a long time coming, and I think it’s a huge step in the right direction for the mall and its new owners.”
The food court once featured Calico Junction, Tim Horton’s, and an A&W franchise location. Until recently, the last business, Calico Junction, closed its doors on April 25, 2020.
To carry on the mall’s legacy, the Coral Kitchen will now feature Nigerian cuisine as a complement to the nearby Coral Ethnic Market, and Vege World will fill the local marketplace void by specializing in vegetarian cuisine.
To glimpse into the mall’s future, Novak said to look at some of the work already done by Pioneer Thinking Capital Corporation. The revitalized Victoria Square Shopping Centre in Regina is its latest successful undertaking.
“They took (Victoria Square) and they turned it around into a destination shopping centre,” she explained. “That’s kind of our goal here — to take (Moose Jaw’s mall), turn it around, and make it a destination again.
“Everybody likes food, and everybody likes variety in their food,” Novak said. “And that’s one of the most successful businesses in Moose Jaw. Because we have so many people coming through, everybody’s looking for food… I think we’re going to have great success with our new full food court.”
Even as shopping malls are on the decline nationally, Novak said she’s optimistic about the Town ‘N’ Country Mall’s future.
“(The Pioneer Thinking Capital Corporation want’s) to invest in the community’s future, and they really want to push the fact that we’re here,” Novak continued. “We’re offering space to the community, and we’re here for the community.
“Shopping centres aren’t what they used to be, but we’re trying to adapt and create an even better environment for the community,” she announced.
These plans include several events to be announced this summer, and the revived food court is only the first step.
The Town ‘N’ Country Mall is located at 1235 Main Street North and is open Monday to Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Thursdays and Fridays from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and on Sundays from noon to 5 p.m.
To contact the mall’s administration, call 306-693-1711.
